There's a traditional Sicilan story behind the design of each of those loaves
By Terry60
- 20 Oct, 2008
- 7 likes
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Hywel, brief Description found on internet ......
The following is translated from: Pignatti, Erika. "Profumo di Pane", Bologna: Calderini, 1988.
In Sicily, there is an important tradition concerning the forms and types of bread, especially in connection with customs and religious rites. In some of these traditions, there are recurrent paleochristian elements (braids, symbols of the child Jesus), Jewish (unleavened breads) and Arabic (breads and sweets with sesame seeds). Certainly other people who took their turn on the island (Norman, Greek, Spanish, Angevin) have also left a trace, and certain small breads have a phallic aspect directly connected to pagan customs. In Sicily, making bread at home was alive up to a few decades ago. This bread always had a particular imprint in each village, and at times also in individual families. Today in the city these traditional uses are to a large extent lost and the bread often has little difference from what can be purchased in Milan or Rome.
Nevertheless, some characteristic forms exist such as the ferro di cavallo or horseshoe, the pesce (pisci) or fish, and the mafalda. Also, sesame seeds are frequently used sprinkled on the surface of the crust of the bread.
The Palermitano filone (an elongated shape) is called cuddura or long bread. The dough is prepared with coarse flour, partly of grano duro (hard wheat), and the top surface is generally sprinkled with sesame seeds. It is a bread that can be preserved for several days and is excellent for bruschetta.
The mafalda is a bread of white dough, twisted in form. In the zone of Iblea between Ragusa and Modica, bread is mostly prepared in two forms: the panuzzo, elongated, with a longitudinal cut and the stortella, in the form of an S with a dorsal cut. In the Trapanese the loaves take the name of vasteddi, the filone are called luniceddi.
20 Oct, 2008
It's interesting that each village had it's own imprint.
Such a shame these old ways are disapearing now.
Everything seems to be mass produced now, There's no individuality any more.
It's good that some traditions are being kept though.
Thank you for writing this out.
20 Oct, 2008
Bread and Capuccino.... :o)
Nice picture Terry.
22 Oct, 2008
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It would be interesting to hear the stories.
20 Oct, 2008