Un buonissimo dolce pasquale preparato dalle nonne!
La Pupa era destinato alle bambine mentre Lu Castiell era per i maschietti.
Il dolce era ricoperto da un buonissimo strato di zucchero e da tante perline colorate e d`argento.
Le fattezze della Pupa e
l`architettura del Castiell...erano a lasciate a libere
interpretazioni !!!The Pupa and the Castiell
A great Easter cake, prepared by grandmothers!
The Pupa was given to girls, while the Castiell was for the boys.
The cake was covered by a very good layer of sugar and by many colored tiny bits, and by round silver bits for the eyes of the Pupa.
The shape of the Pupa and the architecture of the Castiell was left to the free interpretation of the cook!!
LA PUPA E IL CASTELLO
(EASTER SWEET)
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE DOUGH:
• 1 kilogram of flour;
• 4 eggs;
• 1 envelope of yeast;
• 1 glass of oil;
• 200 grams of suga.
•
FOR THE FROSTING (LU CHIATRE):
• 4or 5 egg whites;
• 1 glass of sugar;
• 1/2 glass of vinegar or lemon juice.
•
PREPARATION
• Prepare the
dough and form the desired shape.
•
• Although the preparation
of this sweet is strictly tied to the Easter Holiday, its origin
are found in those pagan traditions widely spread among the people
of our Peninsula. The most evident proof of its "paganism" is
represented, for instance, by the presence of hard boiled eggs in
the dough which, in the quantity of two, symbolize the fertile
testicles (in the version destined for the males -
IL
CASTELLO -),
or the feminine breasts (in the version destined for the females
- LA PUPA
-). To underline
further the omen of fertility in the "feminine version" of the
sweet, the two eggs were often substituted by a single spot in the
"belly" of the doll (almost to simulate a condition of pregnancy).
As years passed, the creative inspiration of the people has allowed
this sweet to assume the most disparate shapes: in the case of the
"doll", it is possible to observe variations which go from the
stylized shape of a puppet to that of the most sophisticated doll
with breasts, arms, and legs; in the case of the "castle", the
dough is shaped, from time to time, in the form of an "open donut",
of a stylized horse, of a camel, and so forth. Absolutely
obligatory, in both versions, the presence of the hard boiled eggs
which, for their allegorical meaning, must never be absent. Once
given the dough the desired form, proceed as
follows:
• Butter the
baking pan;
• Place dough
in baking pan;
• Bake in
moderate oven for about one hour;
• Prepare the
frosting.
•
• The preparation of the
frosting (lu
chiatre) is
made by whipping the egg whites with a fork or an eggbeater in a
pan (or bowl). During the whipping, add sugar and the vinegar or
lemon juice.
• Once
whipped, the frosting is spread on the sweet, which has been
cooled.
• Once the
frosting has been spread, it is decorated by multicolor sprinkles,
which give the sweet its typical holiday
appearance.
• Allow the
frosting to harden at room temperature until the next
day.
• It is
opportune to remember that, in times of economic scarcity,
"lu
chiatre" was
painted very thin, and for the purpose, they resorted to the use of
a feather plucked from a chicken's wing. In reality we advise the
consumer to spread the sweet with a generous cover of frosting in
order to render the sweet more flavorful, since by its nature it is
rather insipid and of a coarse consistency.
•