L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017 A vigorous thrust with a fork resolutely imposes on the icing to reach the body of DONATELLA POLIZZI soft ricotta cream in perfect sym- biosis with the sponge cake. The bitter chocolate morsels explode in your mouth in contrast with the sweetness of candied fruits. We are not talking of any dish of Italian cuisine, but of the sweetest of sweet desserts, Her Majesty the Cassata, standard bearer and history book not to be read but to be tasted to learn the ancient taste of Sicily, the largest Italian island, crossroad of past peoples and Mediterranean har- bor. From Phoenicians to Greeks, from Romans to Arabs and Normans, passing through thou- sands of other peoples, all have been capable to add something to the gastronomy as well as to the architecture of Sicily. The cassata name itself brings us back in time. According to some the name, and thus its cre- ation, derives from the Latin "caseus", cheese, according to others from the Arabic "qas'at", bowl. It is thought that Greeks had developed a version of the cassata comparable to modern cheesecake and that this was later enriched by Arabs who, between the 9th and the 11th century, had introduced new flavors in Sicily through the sugar cane, almonds, citrus fruits, which became the island's bastion and symbol in public imagination. The whirl- wind of flavors that such a melt- ing pot can create immediately comes to surface. Past the first layer of thick and soft icing, we discover how other peoples have contributed to make this dessert an example of pure perfection. The sponge cake - created around the 18th century to honour the Spanish court, hence the Italian name Bread of Spain, by a cook from Genoa, who was in that country with the Italian ambassador Domenico Pallavicino – envelops and sup- ports the ricotta cream. The sheep milk ricotta, known also by Greeks and produced on the island since ancient times, makes us think of a milk enabling very different flavours than those of common cow milk which we have grown accustomed to. The ricotta generated by this unique type of milk is mixed with sugar to give life to a sweet and unique cream made precious by choco- late drops. If by now we understand the main structure of this delicacy, we cannot not complete the taste framework by adding two details. The first is the paste, produced for the first time at the Martorana convent in Palermo, hence the name pasta Martorana. It is a hard paste, composed of sugar and almond flour, which, substi- tuting a baking-demanding short- cut pastry, transformed cassata in the cold-prepared dessert that we know today. Candied fruits are the worthy decoration of this luminous and purely white icing disc that char- acterizes the cassata. The fruit, dehydrated and immersed in as sugar syrup, becomes an element of bright colour adorning like precious stones the dessert sur- face, putting on a show of gastro- nomic architecture similar to the baroque architecture of the island. Although the candying process highly diminishes the fruit nutritional value, it exalts its colours which become unique especially in contrast with the white surface on which they are laid. This authentic work of art, originally connected to Easter, is now had during the entire year and it is spreading all over the world thanks to an ever more asserting quality of Made in Italy products and to internet which allows an international market- ing. Talking about cassata one must also talk of Catania Saint Agatha's cassatella, also known as Saint Agatha's breasts because of their semi-spherical shape with a cherry on top and which is a miniature version of cassata. Connected to religion and to the ancient cults of Isis and Demeter, both documented in Catania, cas- satella was created in celebration of Saint Agatha's martyrdom and the tearing away of her breasts. Having spoken of the throne of sweetness of this ancient queen of Sicilian pastries, we cannot leave behind her scepter, the Cannolo. Here a hard pastry is fried by immersion, preferably in the extra virgin olive oil, cor- nerstone of Sicilian quality prod- ucts, which type of frying makes it crunchy and fragrant. After it has cooled, it is filled with a ricotta cream and decorated with candied cherry or Bronte pista- chio nuts depending on whether one is in the Eastern or Western side of Sicily. This authentic "walking" dessert must be savored possibly walking along the streets of the island, possibly looking on one side at Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe, and on the other side at the unique and infinite sea, characterized on the Eastern coast by lava rocks whose black colour stands out against the blue of the sea and the sky. This dessert thus represents the embrace of two elements, the crunchy pastry and the ricotta cream, which balance and exalt one another like the embrace of two lovers or of the earth and the sea. May it be a crunchy sweet or a soft sphere overflowing with sweet cream, may it be precious of infinite details or simple and homey, these sweets are a must to be tried at least once in a lifetime to feel the warmth and sweetness of a land unique in the world. Cassata, originally connected to Easter, is now had during the entire year and it is spreading all over the world. Photo by Malgorzata_Kistryn Her Majesty the Cassata LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

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