Tourists who have discovered the beautiful city rediscovered for the know it well 32nd America's Cup or those who annually wait in the port to embark for Pantelleria, Ustica, Favignana, Levanzo or Marettimo: in the few hours they stop in the city, they wander through the evocative maze of narrow streets, where they are flooded with a unique scent of pizza emanating from ovens and bakeries.
In Trapani the "Rianata" is not a simple pizza, it is a city pride, expression of the Italy of the bell towers, like the Caponata di Melanzane rigorously antithetical to that of Catania and Palermo, the Busiate al Pesto, the Cous Cous, the cannolo di Dattilo which is keen to distinguish itself from the traditional one from Palermo.
Closely related to lo Sicilian Sfincione, 'u spinciuni, typical of the Christmas holidays, food of poor people, an alternative to "pani schittu" (bread without any seasoning), halfway between pizza and focaccia, based on anchovies, onions, breadcrumbs, and for the "rich", also of cheese, Rianata from Trapani is a real triumph of oregano (riano, in Sicilian dialect), from which it takes its name. Translated into Italian, Rianata is equivalent to Origanata.
The Trapani pizza, like its Palermo cousin, draws originated from poor people: arises from the need to recover leftover pasta, for the accuracy of Busiate Al Pesto Trapanese, ancient dish born in the port of Trapani where the Genoese ships, coming from the East, who brought the tradition of Ligurian garlic, made with garlic and walnuts, later elaborated by Trapani sailors with the products of their land, tomatoes and almonds.
And the pizza dough was also the recycling of what remained from the preparation of the panand that it was fired only once a week and had to last for several days.
From these two "poor" leftovers came out, like a rabbit from the top hat of a magician, a delicacy of which the people of Trapani today are proud of with very intense flavors and aromas.
The dough, based on durum wheat flour (but the interpretations are varied, some prefer 00, some 0, some semolina flour), water, yeast, salt with a pinch of sugar, is left rise for a couple of hours. Then it is enriched with desalted sardines or anchovies, chopped peeled tomatoes, Nubian garlic crushed, typical local product, Slow Food presidium also used for fish couscous, and the pesto sauce in the Trapani's style (The "cull'agghia pasta", pasta with garlic), chopped parsley, Sicilian pecorino cheese and extra virgin olive oil.
What characterizes it above all is the abundant use of oregano, which grows spontaneously everywhere in Sicily and which gives the Rianata a particular, very Mediterranean flavour, that flavor shared by the cuisines of Southern France, Spain and Greece, but above all in Italy protagonist of Calabrian, Sicilian, Neapolitan, Abruzzese Molise recipes.
Except that in the Rianata the oregano as a condiment becomes the protagonist and sprinkles this pizza with its unmistakable aroma.
For the record its name comes from Greek oros-ganos, joy of the mountain and was use as symbol of prosperity decorate the heads of the spouses during ceremonies for its auspicious value.
Eating a nice slice of Rianata not only gives pleasure from a gastronomic point of view but also brings the many benefits of oregano to our body. This plant plays an important role in the secretion of gastric juices ha digestive properties, used for decoctions and infusions. It is also antispasmodic, antiseptic, vermifuge, sedative, analgesic and expectorant.
In folk medicine it was, in fact, always used as remedy for respiratory diseases, cough, to treat bronchial inflammation and catarrhal affections.
A curiosity: in the Middle Ages oregano was used as an antidote against the bite of the viper.
To go without fail, those who want to taste a good Rianata in Trapani can choose between two old-fashioned pizzerias Calvino and Aleci, the Bernnardo bakery and the Pipitone pizzeria.
The recipe to make it at home:
Ingredients for people 4
500 grams of flour
25 g of yeast
500 gr of ripe tomatoes
8 Nubia garlic cloves
100 gr of grated pecorino
parsley
100 gr of salted sardines or anchovies (even here the versions differ for some in fact a rianata without sardines unn'è rianata
cup sugar
Origan
extra virgin olive oil
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Method
First, dissolve the yeast in a cup of warm water with the addition of a pinch of sugar, then add to the sifted flour with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of oil, knead for about twenty minutes. In this phase, add more water if necessary, proceeding in alternating phases, vigorously beating the pasta. Form the dough into a ball, place it in a floured bowl, making a cross cut on the surface and leave it to rise in a warm place for two hours covered with a cloth. After this time, knead the dough again briefly; and make balls from which to obtain a thin sheet, which is then placed in a round pan greased with oil. Distribute the desalted sardines or anchovies on top, cut into pieces, sinking them slightly into the paste, add the peeled and chopped tomatoes and the sliced Nubia garlic. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, pecorino and oregano generously (don't limit yourself) and drizzle with a drizzle of oil; then, let it rest for 15 minutes. Put the pizzas in the oven at 250°C and cook for about 25-30 minutes.
And closing your eyes you will have the impression of finding yourself in front of the beautiful coast of the Trapani coast!
One last piece of advice, Rianata the day after is even tastier and softer.
