Typical Calabrian dessert of family tradition rigorously prepared by hand since from the eighteenth century the Pitta of San Martino is a devotional act in the gastronomic culture of humble people of Calabria against the Saint of the humble, that Martin of Tours Roman officer of the Imperial Guard originally from Pannonia who in the harsh winter of 335 during a guard tour met a half-naked beggar and seeing him in pain, he cut his military cloak in two (the white chlamys of the imperial guard) sharing it with the man.
According to legend, the following night Jesus appeared in a dream to Martin wearing half of his military cloak. He heard Jesus say to the angels about him: "Here is Martino, the Roman soldier who is not baptized, he has clothed me". When Martino woke up his cloak was intact. The dream had such an impact on Martino that he, already a catechumen, was baptized the following Easter then, having reached the age of about forty, he decided to leave the army, became Bishop and was one of the founders of monasticism in the West. And in this capacity he preached, baptized villages, knocked down temples, pagan idols, still showing compassion and mercy towards anyone. His fame spread widely in the Christian community (but also by the venerated Orthodox church which has an ancient tradition in Calabria, and by the Coptic one) where, in addition to having a reputation as a miracle worker, he was seen as a man gifted with charity, justice and sobriety.
Il sweet that is dedicated to him has very humble origins. He is a sweet poor man, a sweet of the farmers made with the products of the land. Already in itself the name pitta recalls in the Calabrian popular tradition a very rustic low plain bread, considered a waste from the production of bread, as it was used for check that the wood oven was hot enough to bake well the loaves intended for the family. For this reason, in some areas of Calabria the term pitta jettata or "thrown away" was used, to indicate a waste to test the temperature of the oven. If the traditional pitta has survived over time transforming itself into a street food, a sort of focaccia to be stuffed with vegetables or pieces of meat to eat on a walk, the sweet pitta instead has an ancient history linked to festivities and the customs of peasant communities . The flattened shape remains, very informal, but it is transformed into a delicious biscuit formed from a dough based on honey, raisins, candied citron, almonds, vanilla and in some chocolate versions, typical of the province of Reggio Calabria, from Bagnara to Aspromonte, with the municipalities of Sant'Eufemia d'Aspromonte, Delianuova, Molochio, Oppido Mamertina, Taurianova, Cittanova, San Giorgio Morgeto. Self traditionally they prepared for St. Martin's Day, theirs consumption lasted and continues until the Christmas holidays. And always by tradition, since the feast of San Martino coincided with the tasting of new wine, it was customary for men to visit the cellars on this occasion to taste the wine and toast to the success of the harvest while cold cuts, cheeses and savory and sweet pittas made their appearance on the tables. An old popular saying bears witness to this: "In San Martinu every mustu becomes vinu, in San Nicola every butti is tested, 'ra Macculata every butti is pirciata ", namely "At San Martino every must becomes wine, at San Nicola which falls at the beginning of December, each barrel is tested, at the Immaculate Conception, the feast of 8 December, each barrel must be opened in the sense that places the cork.
Finally, the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies has included the pitte di San Martino in the list of traditional agri-food agricultural products of the Calabria Region
The recipe for Pitta di San Martino by pastry chef Salvatore Ravese
Salvatore Ravese, master pastry chef and ice cream maker named "Ambassador of Italian ice cream in the world", owner of the Garden di Gioia Tauro pastry shop, has set out to study and deepen the values of the pastry tradition of his region since the beginning of his career. There Garden pastry shop in Gioia Tauro today it is a consolidated point of reference for its ability to know reproducing ancient recipes of peasant tradition, renewing them in a modern proposal that is based on study and research but also on the choice of fresh, genuine and excellent quality ingredients. In fact, Ravese favors the territory in all its expressions of authenticity in its desserts by choosing products from small local companies that keep alive the principles of genuineness and safeguarding the integrity of the product. The reasons for his success which has seen him protagonist of the most important national artisan pastry events can be summarized in three words: passion, respect, territory.
His Pitta di San Martino is the recovery of an ancient local tradition. Not a real biscuit but a semi-hard dough that releases flavors and aromas of its Calabria that can be made in two versions, white and black, the difference is in the covering glaze: in the black one it is cocoa-based in the white one sugar base
Ingredients
150 ml of water
100g of sugar
200 g of organic honey from Calabria
1 vanilla bean
1 lemon zest from the plain of Gioia Tauro
500 g of 00 flour
10 g of ammonia for cakes
200 g of raisins
150 g shelled almonds
100 g candied Calabrian orange cubes
100 g candied diamond cedar cubes (riviera dei cedri).
For the frosting
100 g of sugar
25 ml of water
Lemon essential oil (IGP Rocca Imperiale)
Method
Heat the water, honey, sugar, vanilla and grated lemon to 40°, mix well until it becomes a syrup.
Add the fruit and almonds mix well.
Slowly incorporate the flour and ammonia for cakes; mix well until everything is amalgamated and leave the dough to rest for 10 hours.
Cut into irregular shapes and bake at 160° for 18/20 minutes.
Leave to cool and brush the Lemon sugar glaze with a special brush or alternatively with the sugar and cocoa glaze.
Process for the glaze
Take a saucepan and put the sugar and water and bring everything to a temperature of 113°
Brush the pittas individually.
