Region or state | Emilia-Romagna |
---|
Saba, or sapa, is a typical condiment used in Emilia, Romagna, Marche, Umbria, Abruzzo, Apulia and Sardinia.
It is a concentrated syrup of grapes which is obtained from the fresh must of white or red grapes; variants include "mosto cotto", "vino cotto" or "miele d'uva". The must is poured in a copper pot together with some whole walnuts which, by turning during the slow boiling, help the must not to stick to the bottom of the pot. The saba is ready when it is reduced to one third of its initial quantity.
It is very sweet and keeps well due to the sugar content.
The terms "saba" and "sapa" are derived from the Latin word sàpor.
La sapa, ch'altro non è se non un sciroppo d'uva, può servire in cucina a diversi usi poiché ha un gusto speciale che si addice in alcuni piatti. È poi sempre gradita ai bambini che nell'inverno, con essa e colla neve di fresco caduta, possono improvvisar dei sorbetti.
It was used, together with honey and other fruit juices reduced by cooking when cane or beet sugar was unknown or very expensive. It was used both for homemade sweets and to give more flavor to poor dishes such as polenta or to dip piadina or gnocco fritto.
It is also used as a dressing for salads and as a sauce for cream and ice creams. In summertime, it is added to water and drank.
It used to soak sabadoni, ravioli made with apples and quince pears. It is also used to keep soft the typical Christmas bread of Modena. [2]
In Staffolo, Apiro and Cingoli, in the province of Macerata, sapa is used to create one of the most characteristic sweets of the winter period: cavallucci, croissants filled with sapa and dried fruit which can be kept for a long time. In Rosora, in the province of Ancona, in the second half of October, there is a festival dedicated to sapa.
Sapa, here also called mosto cotto, is used for the creation of typical products. For example, in Terni it is an important ingredient of panpepato (a Christmas sweet), while in Assisi it is used as condiment for many dishes, such as roasts.
Saba, obtained from must, or from the fruits of prickly pear (Saba de figu morisca [3] ), or more rarely from strawberry tree, is frequently used in the preparation of typical sweets. In Barbagia, Logudoro and Anglona saba (or sapa) is obtained from must, in Oristano instead saba of prickly pear is mostly used.
Saba, called "vincotto", can also be obtained from figs which, gathered withered directly from the tree and mixed to ripe ones, are blanched until the liquid is amber. The whole is put in large cloths with a medium texture and pressed in order to obtain the liquid which is further thickened over a slow fire. Saba is also widely used in traditional Apulian confectionery, both for dipping cartellate and calzoncelli, and as an ingredient for mixing sasanelli and mostacciuoli.
Similar but obtained in a different way due to the type of fruit used is Turkish pekmez, in use since the times of Ottoman empire. This juice (of grape, fig or other) boiled is used as a sweet syrup, combined to tahina for breakfast or as an ingredient for many recipes in pastry making. [4]
Tiramisu is an Italian dessert made of ladyfinger pastries (savoiardi) dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar and mascarpone and flavoured with cocoa. The recipe has been adapted into many varieties of cakes and other desserts. Its origin is disputed between the Italian regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The name comes from the Italian tirami su.
Toad in the hole is a traditional English dish consisting of sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter, usually served with onion gravy and vegetables. Historically, the dish has also been prepared using other meats, such as rump steak and lamb's kidney. In the 21st century, vegetarian and vegan versions have appeared.
Risotto is an Italian rice dish cooked with broth until it reaches a creamy consistency. The broth can be derived from meat, fish, or vegetables. Many types of risotto contain butter, onion, white wine, and Parmesan cheese. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy. Saffron was originally used for flavour and its signature yellow colour.
Balsamic vinegar is a dark, concentrated, intensely flavoured vinegar originating in Modena, Italy, made wholly or partially from grape must: freshly crushed grape juice with all the skins, seeds and stems.
Pastitsio is a Greek baked pasta dish with ground meat and béchamel sauce, with variations of the dish found in other countries of the Mediterranean Sea.
Pellegrino Artusi was an Italian businessman and writer, best known as the author of the 1891 cookbook La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiar bene.
Bistecca alla fiorentina is an Italian steak dish made of young steer (vitellone) or heifer (scottona) that is one of the most famous dishes in Tuscan cuisine. It is loin steak on the bone cooked on a grill until rare (50 °C).
Fruit syrups or fruit molasses are concentrated fruit juices used as sweeteners.
Scaloppine is a type of Italian dish that comes in many forms. It consists of thinly sliced meat, most often beef, veal, or chicken, that is dredged in wheat flour and sautéed in one of a variety of reduction sauces.
Sugoli is a dessert prepared with the must of red grapes, flour and sugar, cooked slowly and then left to cool. The sugoli can be served cool, like a pudding, or preserved in a jar like jam. It is a typical dessert in northern Italy.
Vincotto is a dark, sweet, thick paste produced in rural areas of Italy. It is made by the slow cooking and reduction over many hours of non-fermented grape must until it has been reduced to about one-fifth of its original volume and the sugars present have caramelized. It can be made from a number of varieties of local red wine grapes, including Primitivo, Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera, and before the grapes are picked they are allowed to wither naturally on the vine for about thirty days. In Roman times it was known as sapa in Latin and epsima in Greek, the same names that are often used for it in Italy and Cyprus, respectively, today.
Vino cotto is a type of wine from the Italian regions of Marche and Abruzzo, made primarily in the hills of the province of Ascoli Piceno and the province of Macerata. It is a strong ruby-colored wine, usually semi-sweet, and traditionally drunk in small glasses with puddings and cheese.
The cuisine of Sardinia is the traditional cuisine of the island of Sardinia, and the expression of its culinary art. It is characterised by its own variety, and by the fact of having been enriched through a number of interactions with the other Mediterranean cultures while retaining its own identity. Sardinia's food culture is strictly divided into food from the land and food from the sea, reflecting the island's historical vicissitudes and especially its geographic landscapes, spacing from the coastline to the ragged mountains of the interior. The Sardinian cuisine is considered part of the Mediterranean diet, a nutritional model that was proclaimed by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage.
Bolognese sauce, known in Italian as ragù alla bolognese or ragù bolognese, is a meat-based sauce in Italian cuisine, typical of the city of Bologna. It is customarily used to dress tagliatelle al ragù and to prepare lasagne alla bolognese.
Lombard cuisine is the style of cooking in the Northern Italian region of Lombardy. The historical events of its provinces and of the diversity of its territories resulted in a varied culinary tradition. First courses in Lombard cuisine range from risottos to soups and stuffed pasta, and a large choice of second course meat or fish dishes, due to the many lakes and rivers of Lombardy.
Grape syrup is a condiment made with concentrated grape juice. It is thick and sweet because of its high ratio of sugar to water. Grape syrup is made by boiling grapes, removing their skins, squeezing them through a sieve to extract the juice. Like other fruit syrups, a common use of grape syrup is as a topping to sweet cakes, such as pancakes or waffles.
Emiko Davies is an Australia-born cookbook author, food journalist and food blogger, known for a focus on regional Italian food. She is based in Florence, Italy.
The cuisine of Basilicata, or Lucanian cuisine, is the cuisine of the Basilicata region of Italy. It is mainly based on the use of pork and sheep meat, legumes, cereals and vegetables, with the addition of aromas such as hot peppers, powdered raw peppers and horseradish. The local gastronomy is, for historical-cultural reasons, typically peasant, based on simple recipes and on the culture of reuse, in particular of meat and bread.
Cappelletti are ring-shaped Italian stuffed pasta so called for the characteristic shape that resembles a hat. Compared to tortellini, they have a different shape, larger size, thicker dough and different filling.
In Cappadocia si produce il pekmez, una sorta di marmellata fatta coi residui della pigiatura