Cassata

Cassata

Cassata

Type of sponge cake

For people with the surname, see Cassata (surname).

Cassata or cassata siciliana (/kəˈsɑːtə/ kə-SAH-tə, Italian: [kasˈsaːta sitʃiˈljaːna]; Sicilian: [ka(s)ˈsaːta sɪʃɪˈljaːna]) is a traditional cake from the Sicily region of Italy.[1][2] Cassata is typically composed of a round sponge cake moistened with fruit juices or liqueur and layered with ricotta cheese and candied fruit (a filling also used with cannoli). Cassata has a shell of marzipan, pink and green colored icing, and decorative designs. Cassata may also refer to a Neapolitan ice cream containing candied or dried fruit and nuts.

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Origin

Cassata
A slice of cassata al forno, almond pastries (right) and a cassatina siciliana (left)

Cassata is believed to have originated in Palermo in the 10th century, when under Emirate of Sicily.[3][4] The word al-qaššāṭī – القشاطي (Arabic for 'the cassata-maker') – was first mentioned in Corleone in 1178.[5][6]

The Arabic word qas'ah,[Arabic text?] from which cassata may derive, refers to the bowl that is used to shape the cake.[7][8]

Variations

Unlike the round, traditional shape some cassata are made in the form of a rectangle, square, or box. The word box in Italian is cassa, although it is unlikely that the word cassata originated from this term.[citation needed]

Cassata catanese, as it is often prepared in the Sicilian province of Catania, is made similar to a pie, containing a top and bottom crust, filled with ricotta cheese, and baked in the oven.

The cassatella di sant'Agata is a similar dessert, but made in a smaller, personal-serving size, with a candied cherry on top, and often a specifically green-colored marzipan. It is typically made in Catania for the festival of Saint Agatha. The allusion to the female breast relates the specific torture Saint Agatha faced as a Catholic martyr.[9]

When a cassata is made, layers of gelato (Italian ice cream) can be substituted for the layers of cheese, producing a dessert similar to an ice cream cake. The version of the recipe followed in Messina is less sweet than the one used in Palermo.

Cassata can also refer to a flavor of ice-cream inspired by the sweet.

See also

Media related to Cassata at Wikimedia Commons

References

  1. [1]
    "Dai musulmani agli spagnoli: ecco le mutazioni della cassata siciliana". Cibodistrada.it. 2016-03-26. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
  2. [2]
    "Gastronomia". Web.tiscalinet.it. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
  3. [3]
    Habeeb Salloum (25 Jun 2013). Sweet Delights from a Thousand and One Nights: The Story of Traditional Arab Sweets (revised ed.). I.B.Tauris. pp. 139–40. ISBN 9780857733412.
  4. [4]
    Alan Davidson (11 Aug 2014). Jaine, Tom (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Food (illustrated ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 148. ISBN 9780199677337.
  5. [5]
    Alex Metcalfe (2009). The Muslims of Medieval Italy (illustrated ed.). Edinburgh University Press. p. 252. ISBN 9780748620081.
  6. [6]
    Alexander Metcalfe (21 Jan 2014). Muslims and Christians in Norman Sicily: Arabic-Speakers and the End of Islam. Routledge. p. 259. ISBN 9781317829256.
  7. [7]
    Vesna Maric (2008). Sicily. Ediz. Inglese (illustrated ed.). Lonely Planet. p. 45. ISBN 9781740599696.
  8. [8]
    Mary Taylor Simeti (2009). Sicilian Food: Recipes from Italy's Abundant Isle (illustrated ed.). Wakefield Press. p. 79. ISBN 9781862548503.
  9. [9]
    "The erotic origins of Italy's most famous sweet". BBC. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
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