Around the entire Mediterranean, and especially in Southern Italy, sweets and religious festivals have gone hand in hand since antiquity. Beginning in the 10th century, March 19 has been the date that the Festa di San Giuseppe, or St. Joseph’s Day is celebrated. In Italy, the holiday is significant for two main reasons – to honor, of course, St. Joseph, for his biblical role as Jesus’ step- father, and as Father’s Day, or the festa del papa.
Many people are surprised to learn that San Giuseppe is the patron saint to pastry chefs as well as to carpenters, the family, children, the Universal Church, and many Sicilian and Italian-American communities. One of the gastronomic ways of celebrating the holiday is to create a St. Joseph’s day table, made of meatless dishes, since the holiday falls during Lent. Flowers, citrus, wine, fava beans, bread, cakes, and pastries are typical components of the table. In a nod to St. Joseph’s work as a carpenter, sawdust was also placed on the table. A three-tiered table is often used to represent the holy trinity.
In Calabria and Sicily, a popular fava bean puree, known in dialect as Maccu is enjoyed. Many people give thanks to St. Joseph for protecting Sicily from a famine which was expected to be brought on by a severe drought in the middle ages. When unanticipated rain followed a series of communal prayers, Sicilians prepared a huge banquet to show their appreciation to the saint. It was the fava bean crop (at the time an important commodity) which saved the community. For this reason, Maccu is prepared specifically for the holiday. Food is also given to the needy on March 19.
Zeppole, Neapolitan cream puffs were believed to be created by Don Pasquale Pinatauro in Napoli on St. Joseph’s Day – and Italians and Italian-Americans have been enjoying them ever since. The Sicilians also enjoy their own version, based on a similar recipe known as sfinge, also spelled sfincie, which comes from the word sfinj, or sfenj, meaning “sponge” in Arabic. The reason for the variation in spellings is that in Arabic there is one symbol which represents both the vowels “e” and “I”, so either way is correct for the English transliteration. Sfenj are a type of doughnut/beignet enjoyed throughout North Africa, where choux pastry, the type of pastry used to make cream puffs (profiteroles) and elairs was introduced from the Middle East. In North Africa and the Middle East the dough was often fried and dipped in a sweet syrup, which the sponge-like consistency of the dough easily absorbed.
While the Neapolitan, Calabrian, and Sicilian traditions are most prevalent, it is important to note that many small villages have their own special ways of celebrating the holiday. Since St. Joseph is revered by so many, respect for his life, and the miracles he inspired believers to manifest are honored in many places.
If you’d like to celebrate St. Joseph’s Day with a delicious, healthful, and authentic southern Italian recipe, try my maccu…it’s a sneak preview from my upcoming Italian Diabetes Cookbook. If you’ve got a sweet tooth and what to try your hand at Zeppole di San Giuseppe, .they use the same choux pastry and cream filling…the only difference is that the zeppole are piped into tight rings and topped with the pastry cream instead of being piped into balls and filled as are profiteroles.
Buon appetito e buona festa a tutti!!!
\
Southern Italian Fava Bean Puree/Maccu
Maccu is a popular dish in my ancestral homeland of Calabria, Italy. The term “Calabria” is derived from the Byzantine term meaning “fertile land”. The region lives up to its namesake with rich agricultural traditions that continue today. The word Maccu comes from the dialect word for “mashed” and refers to a puree that is made of fava beans – one of the world’s oldest agricultural crops. Fresh and dried fava bean dishes alike are served in Calabria for St. Joseph’s Day. Serve alone, drizzled with olive oil as a side dish or with crackers, flatbread, or Whole Wheat Cracker Rings with Black Pepper and Fennel Seeds. Use first cold pressed olive oil and pecorino Crotonese – a high quality aged sheep’s milk cheese from Calabria, if possible. This dish, like many popular Italian appetizers can be served hot or at room temperature. Chickpeas and Cannellini beans can be substituted in this dish as well.
Serves:6
Serving Size: approximately 1/3 cup
Ingredients:
2/3 cup peeled, dried fava beans, soaked in boiling water for 1 hour, and drained
1 small onion, quartered
1 dried bay leaf
2 tablespoons pecorino crotonese or romano or cheese
2 tablespoons first cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
Place beans, onion, and bay in a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook until tender, approximately 1 hour.
Drain beans and place in a food processor with cheese, 1 tablespoon cheese, and fennel seeds. Puree until smooth. Taste and season with crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
Spoon onto a serving platter and smooth out the top with a spatula. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes on top, if desired.
Wine: Bianco Locorotondo
Comments
Post a Comment