U cumbitu 'i San Giuseppi (lit. 'Saint Joseph's banquet'), also known as u mmitu 'e San Giuseppe, [1] [2] or u banquettu around Catanzaro, [3] is a custom in the Calabria region, southern Italy, in which lagane e ceci , [4] [5] a pasta dish containing chickpeas, [6] [7] is shared among families and neighbours on Saint Joseph's Day (19 March). [6]
U cumbitu may have emerged in the 20th century, [6] or have origins in Calabria's medieval feudal society. [2] [7] On Saint Joseph's Day, rich families invited poorer people from their neighbourhood for a feast at their house. [3] Some of the guests would dress as the Holy Family, [3] [4] sometimes extended to include Joachim and Anne, Mary's parents. [3] The hostess would kiss guests' hands in an act of reverence. [8] Lagane e ceci was served as the first dish, [6] followed by pan-fried cod and zeppole, [3] the dessert typically associated with Saint Joseph in Calabria. [9] The meal would take place in silence. [8] After the meal, guests would be given leftovers to take home to their relatives. [3] [8]
Alternatively, beggars would walk the streets with a pan in their hands, clinking their spoons against the pan to warn almsgivers that they were arriving. [6] Reaching the house of someone reasonably well-off, they would hide their faces and receive a vuccata 'i San Giuseppi (transl. Saint Joseph's morsel), [3] consisting of the pasta, cod, [3] [4] and sometimes dried figs. [3] Around Crotone, it was also common to donate loaves of bread to passers-by. [10]
U cumbitu notably suspended class structures in Calabria, which was particularly afflicted by poverty and hunger, [3] and was a symbol of social solidarity and fraternity. [4] [10]
Today,[ when? ] parishes and neighbourhoods in Calabria organise u cumbitu get-togethers, in which families exchange food that is blessed by the parish priest. [1] [6] Elsewhere, families bring the dish to their neighbours, friends, and relatives. The custom is popular among Calabrian emigrant communities, [6] such as in Cinisello Balsamo, Lombardy, [6] [11] where a Calabrian cultural association has organised an annual u cumbitu since the 2010s. [6] While the pasta was traditionally cooked in terracotta pignatta pots by a fireplace, [8] or prepared in pots in village alleys and squares, [2] [9] from which anyone could help themselves to a portion, [2] [10] the pasta is now typically cooked on gas stoves. [8]
Before u cumbitu, figs, zucchini, and peppers are sun-dried. Closer to Saint Joseph's Day, bread is prepared in a wood-fired oven, and chicory and fennel are harvested, while scarola and cabbages are picked. [8] Cod and dried chickpeas are soaked together overnight before the feast. [8] [7]
The pasta traditionally used for the meal is lagane e ceci. [4] [5] On the day of the meal, [7] the pasta is rolled out, dried, [2] then rolled up on itself and cut into strips. [2] [7] The pasta is cooked for two to three minutes, then mixed with the chickpeas. [7] The meal is served with bread and wine. [8] Other dishes associated with u cumbitu include bean, lentil, chickpea, or Indian pea soup. [8]
Calabria is a region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. It has almost 2 million residents across a total area of 15,222 km2 (5,877 sq mi). Catanzaro is the region's capital.
Sicilian cuisine is the style of cooking on the island of Sicily. It shows traces of all cultures that have existed on the island of Sicily over the last two millennia. Although its cuisine has much in common with Italian cuisine, Sicilian food also has Greek, Spanish, French, Jewish, and Arab influences.
Saint Joseph's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Joseph or the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, is in Western Christianity the principal feast day of Saint Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary and legal father of Jesus Christ, celebrated on 19 March. It has the rank of a solemnity in the Catholic Church. It is a feast or commemoration in the provinces of the Anglican Communion, and a feast or festival in the Lutheran Church. Saint Joseph's Day is the Patronal Feast day for Poland as well as for Canada, persons named Joseph, Josephine, etc., for religious institutes, schools and parishes bearing his name, and for carpenters. It is also Father's Day in some Catholic countries, mainly Spain, Portugal, and Italy. It is not a holy day of obligation for Catholics in the United States.
Zeppola, sometimes called frittelle, and in Sardinia italianized zippole or zeppole sarde from the original Sardinian tzípulas, is an Italian pastry consisting of a deep-fried dough ball of varying size but typically about 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter. This fritter is usually topped with powdered sugar, and may be filled with custard, jelly, cannoli-style pastry cream, or a butter-and-honey mixture. The consistency ranges from light and puffy, to bread- or pasta-like. It is eaten to celebrate Saint Joseph's Day, which is a Catholic feast day.
Peperoncino is the generic Italian name for hot chili peppers, specifically some regional cultivars of the species Capsicum annuum and C. frutescens. The sweet pepper is called peperone in Italian. Like most peppers, the fruit is green or yellowish-green when young, and ripens to a red color.
The primary languages of Calabria are the Italian language as well as regional varieties of Extreme Southern Italian and Neapolitan languages, all collectively known as Calabrian. In addition, there are speakers of the Arbëresh variety of Albanian, as well as Calabrian Greek speakers and pockets of Occitan.
Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine consisting of the ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques developed in Italy since Roman times and later spread around the world together with waves of Italian diaspora. Some of these foods were imported from other cultures. Significant changes occurred with the colonization of the Americas and the introduction of potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums, maize and sugar beet—the latter introduced in quantity in the 18th century. It is one of the best-known and most appreciated gastronomies worldwide.
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Bisignano is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza, part of the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is situated on hills in the Crati valley, between the Pollino and Sila National Parks. The town has historically been settled and inhabited by an Arbëreshë community
Cetraro is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.
Giuseppe Coniglio, known as U poeta,, was an Italian poet who wrote in Pazzanese, a variety of the Calabrian dialect (language).
Domenico Caruso is an Italian poet and writer. He is a noted scholar of the Calabrian dialects, the language in which he composed many of his works.
Lagane e ceci, also known as pasta del brigante, is a pasta dish from the Calabria region of Italy. It consists of lagane, a wide pasta, with chickpeas, garlic, and oil.
San Giuseppe is the Italian name of Saint Joseph. It may refer to:
Apulian cuisine consists of the cooking traditions and practices of the region of Apulia in Italy. Starting from the Middle Ages the permanent residence of the nobility in the region gradually declined, which caused the disappearance of their noble cuisine over time. As the common people suffered from poverty, their culinary tradition adapted to use cheap and simple foods. Bread, vegetables and pasta have the leading role in the cuisine. Fruits, fish and wine are consumed frequently as well, but meat plays a minor role. The food of Apulia is known as a prime example of cucina povera or 'cuisine of the poor', characterizing its simplicity rather than its quality. Moreover, the simple dishes allow the quality of their local and seasonal ingredients to take center stage.
Pasta e ceci is a dish common in southern and central Italy. It is made with pasta and chickpeas. It is part of the cucina povera, or peasant cuisine tradition in Italian cuisine.
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The Fogheraccia di San Giuseppe, also known as the Focarina, is an annual public bonfire lit on the evening of 18 March, the vigil of Saint Joseph's Day, in the historical region of Romagna, northern Italy, and San Marino.