Do you want to visit Sicily and fully get to know its aromas and flavors? Are you visiting its cities full of art and culture in search of foods that enchant your palate?
Sicilian cassata is certainly what you are looking for. If you want to know more about this delicious dessert and the ancient tradition it brings with it, we at SicilianMagpie want to tell you about it, trying to make you savor, even if only in thought, the story it has to tell.
Sicilian cassata, what is it?
The Sicilian cassata is one of the most famous sweets produced in Sicily. Stuffed with ricotta (made from sheep’s or goat’s milk) and chocolate chips, it is possible to find this dessert in two versions: “cold” and “baked”.
While the first is made with a base of sponge cake and covered with icing and candied fruit, or prepared with the so-called “martorana paste”, the second is made with shortcrust pastry and crumbled biscuits, with a sprinkling of icing sugar on top , mixed with the full-bodied ricotta and the citrus aroma of the shortcrust pastry, completes the full-bodied and sweet taste of the cassata.
The baked cassata seems to have been created first, and only after the invention of “pasta reale” (called “martorana”) did the so-called cold cassata originate.
In Palermo baked cassata is still in great demand, while in the rest of Sicily its cold version has taken a lot more footing.
But why is it called Sicilian cassata? What do its origins tell us?
The name “cassata” probably derives from the Arabic “quas’at”, or “basin”, due to the shape it acquires during preparation or the shape of the bowl in which it is prepared.
The cassata is in fact prepared inside a circular container with slightly inclined sides. Sheet by sheet, the sponge cake is placed along the walls of this container, then everything is sttufeed with ricotta and covered with the remnants of shortcrust pastry.
Another trend instead tells that the name of this dessert may derive from the Latin “caseum”, which means “cheese” or “dairy product” as we would understand it, a clear reference to the ricotta that is used to fill this dessert.
What we at SicilianMagpie are sure of is that anyone who has tasted even a slice of it can only be in love with this dessert.
Cassata is a typical product of Sicily and as such, at the request of the Region of Sicily, it has been officially added to the list of traditional Italian food products (P.A.T.) of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies (Mipaaf).
Origins of the cassata and its evolution
As mentioned earlier, the origin of the Sicilian cassata seems to go back to the period of Arab domination in Sicily, from the 1600s to 1000s AD. approximately.
The arrival of this population has in fact deeply conditioned the development of Sicilian cuisine: products such as sugar cane, lemon, cedar, bitter orange, mandarin began to become an integral part of Sicilian crops, reaching up to our days.
Palermo, the capital of this shining island, is still nicknamed “the Conca d’Oro”, due to the numerous lemon fields that colored the views of which citizens and tourists can enjoy.The Arabs also increased the cultivation of almonds, introduced by the Phoenicians in Sicily and also an integral part of the preparation of the “martorana”.
Norman period
In fact, in the Norman period, from about after the year 1000, the nuns of the Martorana Convent (now “Church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio”) created the Martorana mixture.
This is a great tourist destination in Palermo, thanks to its location in the charming historic center, to its history and the splendid decorations that adorn its walls and architectural elements.
Inside this church the nuns kneaded almond flour and sugar for the first time, to compose the shapes of typical fruits and color them with botanical dyes.. This replaced the shortcrust pastry casing of the typical baked cassata, giving life to the cold one, decidedly sweeter than the first.
Ricotta
Ricotta itself tells of ancient traditions and times when things were done by hand, prepare for large tables and offer the guests the tastes of their land. Its tradition is probably millenary, and the preparation process is as follows:
Put milk (10 l) in a large pot. Heat it up to about 38 ° (just lukewarm in short) and the rennet is added, a fundamental ingredient for making the cassata clump;
Mix well and let it rest for about 40 minutes, as the liquid will have to curdle (coagulate) into a solid compound;
When the curd is ready, mix, and rekindle the fire;
Collecting the curd (used to make cheeses and more) the whey will remain;
Salt the whey and add water and milk, a couple of liters of cold water and about a liter of milk.
Now we just have to wait for the ricotta to come out, which will slowly form on the surface, thickening. Then turn off the heat and wait for the ricotta to thicken well. Combined with the sugar it will become the ricotta cream that typically season the Sicilian cassata.
Finally, the Spaniards brought chocolate to Sicily, used as drops nowadays along with ricotta.
While candied fruit were added only during the Baroque period (17th century), despite having been known for centuries on the island.
Sicilian cassata: ingredients and preparation
Now that we know the history of the Sicilian cassata and its variants, we are sure that the sweet tooth will want to propose it again at home. So how is the Sicilian cassata prepared?
Starting from the classic cassata cook in the oven, which is easier to prepare. Just place the shortcrust pastry in a metal container with a circular shape and sloping sides, spread the ricotta with the chocolate chips up to the edge and finish with crumbled biscuits. Baked in the oven at 200 degrees for half an hour, turned upside down and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
It is often preferred to let it rest and cool, as the flavors blend better with each other and the taste is more uniform.
Cold Sicilian Cassata
For cold cassata, the process is a bit more complex:
First make the sponge cake, then drain the ricotta well into a colander and put it in a bowl. Mix it with vanilla icing sugar;
Cover the bowl with plastic film and put it in the fridge overnight;
Sieve the ricotta twice to obtain a smooth and soft cream. Then add the chocolate drops and candied fruit if you like them;
Cover with plastic film and place the filling in the fridge;
To prepare the green marzipan, mix the marzipan with the pistachio paste. Then obtain trapezoidal-shaped pieces of royal pasta and marzipan, place them on the inclined sides of a circular bowl.
Then place a disc of marzipan for the bottom, and spread the ricotta generously. Cover with the leftover marzipan;
Place in the fridge overnight with the plastic film on top;
Prepare the icing by putting the icing sugar in a saucepan together with a little water, as much as you need to obtain a creamy and still white mixture.
Then cut strips of zuccata (candied pumpkin) and candied fruit into small pieces, and our delicious cassata is ready!
How many calories does Sicilian cassata have?
A 110g slice of cassata contains about 550 calories, and the following nutritional values:
25.12 grams of fat;
75.96 grams in carbohydrates;
8.87 grams of protein.
Their content in fats and carbohydrates certainly does not make this dish suitable for the sportsman’s diet, but it certainly serves to fill the heart of those who taste it, especially if preceded by a nice sandwich with spleen or panelle and crocché, or accompanied by a good coffee.
Have you also been enchanted by the history, the uses and customs that this typical Sicilian dessert? Can’t wait to visit Sicily and taste its thousands delicacies?
Leave a comment, and continue to follow us for other journeys through the flavors of this splendid land, which leaves a piece of itself in anyone who decides to visit it.