Its origins are very ancient and certain are its Arab influences. According to the popular vulgate this sweet made up of thin layers of fried pastry dough sweetened with milk cream enhanced by cinnamon and Sicilian lemons was created on the occasion of expulsion of the Arabs by the Normans to celebrate the liberation of the island. Hence the name testa i turcu or Turk's head, pride of Castelbuono gastronomy, an ancient village in the Madonie valley, nestled among numerous oak, chestnut, cherry and ash woods, together with the delicious Manna Slow Food presidium obtained from the sap of the bark of the manna ash, or of the amolleo and of the ash tree.
The inhabitants of Castelbuono have even dedicated it to him a festival held on 8 December on the day of the feast of the Madonna. But to tell the truth, according to tradition, the Testa i turcu , of which each family keeps its own jealous and secret recipe, as is the case for all sweets of ancient Italian popular tradition, from time immemorial, is the Carnival dessert of this village. Attention: not to be confused – in Sicily they are very touchy in defending their local traditions – with the Testa di Turco that they make in Scicli, a large cream puff, reminiscent of the Arab turban, filled with custard or ricotta, symbol of the Feast of the Madonna of the Militias (see article published on this portal on 10 February 2021).
If in Scicli it is therefore a pasta, here instead it is one expanse of sweetness that is eaten with a spoon and triumphs on the tables of Castelbuono all year round, for holidays, for anniversaries, for ceremonies. Paraphrasing a local saying:“ca' siddi un viditi u castiddu ea matrici vecchia unn'ati vistu nenti!” which translated means that if in Castelbuono you have not seen the Castello dei Ventimiglia and the Matrice Vecchia, i.e. the church of SS. Maria Assunta you have not seen anything, it can equally be said that if you have not tasted Testa i turcu in Castelbuono you have not entered into the depths of the feelings and flavors of traditional local cuisine. Tradition also has it that this dessert should be served in a decorated oval ceramic dish.
For the Festival of the Head the Turks the association "I Gattopardi di Sicilia", a non-profit moral body this year too, has involved the preparation and tasting of the typical Castelbuono sweet - based on cow's milk, with crunchy lasagna-shaped pastry and sprinkled with cinnamon and cocoa with the decoration of the traditional colored “devils” – the “America Bar” pastry of the Sferruzza brothers in Via Vittorio Emanuele 81 a real institution. Historic pastry shop rooted in the Castelbuono area for 40 years, specialized in the production of typical Sicilian pastry, ice cream and leavened products. I am running the company today the brothers Giovanni and Antonio who have worked hard in recent years to raise the bar of the quality of pastry shops using only high quality products, produced by the territory and respectful of the environment, strictly preferring artisan production. From the oven-baked cassata to the traditional cassata, from the pastry with ricotta, to the handmade panettone with black cherry and pistachios, praise of territoriality, to the nougats, creams and ice creams, the product gallery of the Sferruzza brothers is a rainbow of flavors and colors that embraces the whole sweet scenery of Sicilyto. Worth a trip.
The recipe for Testa i turcu by the Sferruzza brothers
Ingredients
For the pastry
200 grams of flour
1 spoon of sugar
Pinch of salt
Two eggs
For the cream
1 liter of whole milk or goat's milk for the traditional recipe
180 grams of sugar
90 grams of wheat starch
Lemon peel
Cinnamon stick
Method
For the dough, mix the flour, eggs and a spoonful of sugar until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. Roll out the dough very thin and make lasagna-like strips out of it and fry in seed oil. When they are golden, place them on absorbent paper to remove excess oil.
Process for the cream
Bring the milk to the boil over low heat, keeping a glass aside, with sugar, starch, lemon peel and cinnamon and mix continuously until creamy.
In the glass of milk set aside, dissolve the corn starch and pour it a little at a time into the cream while cooking.
Assemble the dessert alternating pastry and cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon for two or three layers to your liking. Define the decoration with colored sprinkles, tails, cinnamon and chocolate flakes
Sferruzza pastry shop
in Via Vittorio Emanuele 81
Castelbuono, Italy, 90013
0921 671071
pasticceriasferruzza@libero.it
