L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano 2 021 has been an important year for one of Italy's favorite candy makers, Sper- lari: the company celebrated i t s 1 8 5 t h b i r t h d a y a n d became officially one of the country's historical brands (marchi storici). The register includes only names of our Made in Italy with a proven h i s t o r i c a l h e r i t a g e , t h a t maintain still today a solid connection with their territo- ry and the values of Italian- made production. Even two S p e r l a r i p r o d u c t s b e c a m e part of the register: crunchy milk candies Galatine, pro- duced since 1956, and Saila licorice products, Saila being t h e a c r o n y m - n o t m a n y know - of the Società Anoni- m a I n d u s t r i a l e L i q u i r i z i a Abruzzese, founded in 1937. Sperlari was founded in Cremona in 1836 by Enea Sperlari. Initially, it was a simple family-run store that specialized in the production of torrone and mostarda, a typical Italian side dish for meat made with fruits. Locat- ed in Via Solferino, the store - which is still open today and is protected in name of its historical significance - became very popular among locals and non-locals alike, if i t ' s t r u e t h a t i t s d e l i c i o u s products reached, thanks to the growing Italian-American c o m m u n i t y , a l s o t h e N e w World. In 1935, Sperlari was well- e s t a b l i s h e d a n d k n o w n ; i t joined forces with another giant of Italian confectionary, Pernigotti, to expand its pro- d u c t i o n f r o m t o r r o n e a n d mostarda to candies, as well. And if it's true that now the company, as is the case for m a n y o t h e r I t a l i a n - b o r n industrial realities - belongs to a multi-national, its cen- tral values of "Italianness" and connection to the terri- tory are alive and well. Still today, Sperlari's core prod- u c t s a r e t h o s e o n w h i c h Enea had bet 185 years ago, t o r r o n e a n d m o s t a r d a , which are quintessentially tied to the Cremona area: and the role of Sperlari in popularizing them across the country and the world remains unmatched. New ventures and culi- nary explorations took place throughout the 20th centu- r y : w e m e n t i o n e d t w o i n particular, Saila, whose first h e a d q u a r t e r s w e r e i n a n abandoned theatre along the S i l v i M a r i n a p r o m e n a d e , and Galatine. Both of them are, in Italy, iconic brands and names. Galatine were among the first candies to be sold even in pharmacies, i n t h e 1 9 7 0 s , a n d t h e y u n d e r w e n t a s i g n i f i c a n t b r a n d e x p a n s i o n i n t h e 1 9 9 0 s , w h e n t h e i r s h a p e went from square to round and, even more importantly, new flavors like chocolate, chocolate chip, and straw- b e r r y w e r e a d d e d t o t h e classic milk flavor. Galatine, by the way, are still made with 100% Italian milk. Sperlari has also been a pioneer when it comes to packaging: in the 1970s, the company began a long series of key collaborations with great names of Italian fash- ion and design - think Mis- s o n i a n d F i o r u c c i , f o r instance - to give their prod- ucts a trendy overhaul and transform their tins into col- lectible items. In 2021, when Sperlari entered the Italian historical brands' register, the then- C E O P i e r g i o r g i o B u r e i declared to Il Sole 24 Ore that: "All Sperlari brands are part of this country's history, they have been with g e n e r a t i o n s o f I t a l i a n s throughout their lives, and they keep on being produced here in Italy, in our four fac- t o r i e s , w i t h I t a l i a n r a w materials: Sperlari mostar- da's fruit, Galatine's milk, Saila's mint, and licorice. Being part of the Register is, for us, a reason of pride and an award for the work we've been doing to valorize Ital- ian tradition while develop- ing the ability to be innova- t i v e : c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s t h a t s t r e n g t h e n e d S p e r l a r i ' s position as an ambassador o f M a d e i n I t a l y i n t h e world." Today, Sperlari is a leader in the confectionary sector, with four active factories in the Belpaese, in Cremona, G o r d o n a ( S o n d r i o ) , S a n Pietro in Casale (Bologna), and Silvi Marina (Teramo), a n d i t ' s l e d b y C E O B e r n a d e t t e B e v a c q u a . Besides Galatine and Saila licorice, Sperlari is known for its large variety of tor- rone and torroncini (bite- s i z e t o r r o n e p i e c e s ) , i t s m o s t a r d a , o f c o u r s e , t h e iconic Pasticca del Re Sole - a traditional licorice candy that comes in a white round tin everyone in Italy recog- n i z e s - t h e m o s t f a m o u s s u g a r - f r e e c a n d i e s i n t h e country, Dietorelle, and a plethora of gummy candies and gelées. The company also owns Paluani, which specializes in the production of panettoni, pandori, and Easter colombe. W e r e c a n - d l e s i n v e n t e d i n I t a l y ? Well, the c l a i m i s p a r t i a l l y t r u e , because if we know candles w e r e c o m m o n a m o n g t h e Greeks, we have also proof they were used by the Etr- u s c a n s , who lived in the central regions of our penin- s u l a : t h e y w o u l d u s e beeswax to mold them and rush as a wick. W e k n o w t h a t t h e R o m a n s u s e d c a n d l e s already in 500 BC, both as a source of light in households and as religious offerings to the gods, especially during the Saturnalia. They had a hemp wick and they were made out of pitch or tallow. Romans also had beeswax candles but they were more expensive and common only among the wealthy or bee- keepers, who had easy and cheap access to plenty of raw material. In Roman homes, it was- n't unusual to find elaborate chandeliers and appliques o n t h e w a l l s , j u s t l i k e i t b e c a m e c o m m o n i n l a t e r c e n t u r i e s , w h e r e c a n d l e s were placed to illuminate the rooms. Making candles was sim- ple: all you needed to do was add a layer of wax or tallow around a wick: these were v e r y t h i n c a n d l e s , w h i c h were then twisted together to f o r m l a r g e r o n e s . T h e y looked a lot like ropes, which the Romans called funes, and that's why candles were also k n o w n a s f u n a l i a i n b a c k then. Interestingly enough, the Italian word "torcia" (a torch, but also, in modern days, a flashlight) comes from the way ancient Roman candles were made: by twisting ("torcere") little ones into a larger one. In Rome, smaller candles were used in homes, while the larger, "twisted" ones, were usually carried outside. The Romans had their own streetlights, too, and they were made with these large candles, usually placed on large bronze or marble hold- ers set on external walls. While traveling by night a n d w i t h i n i t s c a m p s , t h e Roman army used big torch- e s m a d e w i t h p i t c h a n d w o o d : t h e s o l d i e r s w o u l d carry pitch with them but w o u l d u s u a l l y s o u r c e t h e wood locally, wherever they were. Pitch was also impor- tant for another reason: it was used to make incendiary arrows. Traditional candles have been around for millennia. The Romans started using them in 500 BC (Photo: Dmitriy Goncharenko/Dreamstime) Sperlari is known for its production of torroncini, a bitesize version of torrone (Photo: Giorgio Rossi/Dreamstime) Italian inventions: candles Our Made in Italy: Sperlari IMPRESA ITALIA MADE IN ITALY TOP BRANDS BUSINESS & ECONOMY

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