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italoamericano-digital-12-29-2022

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 8 L'Italo-Americano F o o d o n N e w Y e a r ' s E v e rhymes with tra- d i t i o n . I n I t a l y , everyone knows, lentils and cotechino, a type of sausage popular especially in the northern regions of the country, are ubiquitous. This is especially because lentils have been considered a sym- bol of good luck since the times of the Romans, and eat- ing them on the eve of the n e w y e a r i s s a i d t o b r i n g money, health and prosperi- ty. But there are other "Capo- danno" habits related to food we Italians enjoy, even if they may not have been "created" b y u s . I t ' s t h e c a s e , f o r instance, of the tradition of eating twelve grapes at midnight, a well-wishing ges- ture hailing from the not-so- far Iberic peninsula. The ritu- al is very simple: at midnight, while you rise your spumante glass, you eat, one by one, dodici acini di uva, twelve single grapes, each for every time the clock chimes. Care- ful though, because you have to be precise: one grape for one chime, so keep a good rhythm! When it comes to symbol- ism, grapes have a lot in com- mon with lentils: they, too, are believed to bring wealth and health for the new year. T h e a s s o c i a t i o n b e t w e e n g r a p e s a n d p r o s p e r i t y i s ancient, as it is well repre- sented by its ubiquitous pres- ence throughout antiquity on the banquets of Emperors, kings, pharaohs and high priests. Grapes were also associated with fertility and abundance, key factors in societies where agriculture was at the heart of wealth and survival. However, eating grapes on New Year's Eve is a much more recent tradition, which experts date back either to the end of the 19th or the very beginning of the 20th century. And, as mentioned, while it is widely common in the Belpaese, it wasn't us that came out with the idea. According to many, the rit- ual is closely associated with the Spanish capital, Madrid, and it boils down to… eco- nomic reasons. It seems that, in 1909, Alicante's winegrow- ers had a particularly abun- d a n t v i n t a g e a n d s o t h e y came out with the story that eating grapes on New Year's Eve would bring wealth for the new year: a creative trick to get rid of their agricultural surplus! The thing is that people around the country took a liking to it and they did it again the following year and the one after that. People in Madrid became particular- ly fond of the tradition and would gather in the square w h e r e t h e P u e r t a d e l S o l clock stood (and still stands!) t o e a t t h e t w e l v e g r a p e s together. Some, however, believe the tradition was born earli- er, more precisely in 1882, when the mayor of Madrid forbade celebrations in honor of the Three Wise Kings, dur- ing the night between the 5th and the 6th of January. On that occasion, people used to get into the streets of the cap- ital to drink wine together and eat grapes. But the peo- ple of Madrid, who certainly shared a certain Mediter- ranean flair and naughty atti- t u d e w i t h t h e i r I t a l i a n cousins, decided to celebrate anyway but a week earlier, on the night they rang in the new year. There is, however, one last theory, lesser-known per- haps, but that would connect directly Italy - more precise- ly, the region of Marche - with the grapes-eating tradi- tion. In Le Marche the habit of eating twelve grapes on New Year's Eve has always been very common, much more than in the rest of the country, where it was import- ed in more recent times from Spain. Some historians say that, likely, it developed in the region as early as the mid-16th century, when the area was a cultural melting pot of people, from Spanish Sephardic Jews to others coming from Rome; from Muslims coming from the Ottoman Empire to locals. It is, apparently, in this multi- cultural atmosphere that the ancient connection between grapes, abundance and good luck became popular again, making Le Marche, perhaps, the place where the uva de suerte was truly born! T o d a y ' s w o r d i s d e l i c i o u s ! Panforte (pan- for-tai) is a type o f t r a d i t i o n a l cake from Siena, made with nuts, candied fruit, honey, sugar and spices. The word c o m e s f r o m t h e p a n e , "bread," and forte, "strong" or, in this case, "firm." Panforte hails from Siena and it is a traditional cake made during the holiday s e a s o n . I t c o m e s f r o m a 10th-century delicacy called panmelato, a sort of bread sweetened with honey and e n r i c h e d w i t h a p p l e s . C o n t r a r i l y t o p a n f o r t e , t h o u g h , p a n m e l a t o w a s made all-year-round. When, in the 13th century, trade with the East made spices m o r e c o m m o n i n I t a l y , bakers added pepper to it a n d t r a n s f o r m e d i t i n t o panpepato. With time, more ingredients were used for p a n p e p a t o , w h i c h t u r n e d i n t o a c a k e w i t h m o r e complex flavors, then named panforte. In the olden days of the M e d i c i s , p a n f o r t e w a s a d e l i c a c y o n l y t h e r e a l l y wealthy could afford, because of how expensive and exotic its ingredients were. Today, the real panforte from Siena i s m a d e w i t h s e v e n t e e n ingredients, each for every contrada in town, following a recipe dating from 1675. Panforte has a very chewy yet crunchy texture, because of the nuts in it. It is rich, d e c a d e n t a n d s o m e h o w exotic, because of the spices i n i t s r e c i p e : c o r i a n d e r , nutmeg, cloves and mace. But it has also all the flavor of the M e d i t e r r a n e a n , w i t h i t s almonds and candied citrus peels! Panforte is not a cake for e v e r y o n e , b e c a u s e o f i t s peculiar texture and intense f l a v o r s , b u t i t h a s a l l t h e r i c h n e s s a n d b e a u t y o f d a m a s k v e l v e t , m u c h l i k e another iconic Italian dessert, la cassata. Se vai a Siena, compra un buon panforte! If you go to Siena, buy a good panforte! Mi piacerebbe provare a fare il panforte a casa I'd like to try and make panforte at home Non sono sicuro di amare i l p a n f o r t e : l o t r o v o gommoso! I a m n o t s u r e I l i k e panforte: it's kind of chewy! LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Word of the day: panforte - another cake for the holidays Italian curiosities: why do we eat grapes on New Year's Eve? Eating grapes on New Year's Eve is a Spanish tradition that may have Italian roots! (Photo: Juan Moiano/Dreamstime) Slices of traditional panforte (Photo: Amarosy/Dreamstime)

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