While waiting for UNESCO to recognize the cult and popular devotion to San Gennaro as an intangible heritage of humanity, in Naples the patron saint who this year in May has thrown his faithful into despair for the failure to liquefy his blood on the date established (actually the miracle took place two days later) while in December, despite prayers and invocations, he did not want to know about performing the miracle, he continues to be at the center of a thousand initiatives of piety and filial devotion that continue throughout the course of the 'year.
Among the most original is the “San Gennà…A dessert for San Gennaro” competition which develops the creativity of pastry artisans from all over Italy, who try their hand at making a dessert dedicated to a saint who, with 25 million faithful esteemed all over the world, he is certainly one of the most venerated saints in Italy and abroad.
The competition is reserved for artisans who have at least 5 years of experience in the pastry shop who will have to conceive a single-portion dessert. The regulation refers to a "travel" sweet linked to the idea of a sweet souvenir of the city for tourists to be made according to certain rules: use one of the Mulino Caputo flours, the Mill of Naples, a supporter of the initiative; insert an ingredient chosen from Agrimontana references, a leading company for candied fruit and marrons glacés; insert a red ingredient, an obvious reference to the miracle of the blood which is celebrated three times a year, and/or a yellow ingredient. The reason for the latter must be sought in the tradition that forged the epithet "Faccia 'ngialluta", "Yellow face" for the bronze color assumed by the face of the statue carried in procession in the 700th century to implore the arrest of the eruption of Vesuvius which threatened Naples. And Face 'ngialluta recurs in the abusive, but affectionate, statements which the women of San Gennaro indulge in when the miracle is late in occurring. “Face 'ngialuta, accurre e stuta 'this blaze of the 'nfierno. Ora pro nobis” that is “Yellow face, hurry up and turn off this blaze that comes from hell. Pray for us” this is how the Neapolitans prayed during the terrible eruption of Vesuvius in 1794, which caused death and destruction.
“San Gennà scitet, let me perform a miracle! Yellow face please us!”, they shout today, with what Matilde Serao defined as a “playful endearment” when the blood in the vial is slow to liquefy
The pastry chefs who intend to try their hand at the contest have until July 31st to send their application, accompanied by the recipe and photos of the dessert, there will be time until July 31st l (info@dfcomunicazione.it)
“San Gennà…A dessert for San Gennaro is becoming an increasingly important event” – declares Antimo Caputo – “We at Mulino Caputo like the idea of stimulating the creativity of master pastry chefs, so that they create a dessert that can become a further characteristic of Naples, Campania and, outside our borders, all of Italy. Certain of the importance of "teamwork", we believe that by putting all our best skills into a system, we will be able to give life to a virtuous path, capable of promoting raw materials and artisan products but also the history, culture and traditions of our land .”
On 6 September in Naples, at the Roof Garden Angiò of the Renaissance Naples Hotel Mediterraneo there will be the announcement of the winner. The jury is made up of: Luigi Biasetto (Relais Dessert and former Best Pastry Chef in the World), Salvatore De Riso and Antimo Caputo (AD of Mulino Caputo).
The “San Gennà…A dessert for San Gennaro” competition has obtained the moral patronage of the most authoritative national trade association, AMPI (Association of Italian Pastry Chefs).
