Pizza dolce di Beridde explained

Pizza dolce di Beridde
Alternate Name:Pizza ebraica, diamanti romani
Country:Italy
Region:Rome
Type:Sweet bread
Main Ingredient:Flour, sugar, almonds, candied fruits, raisins, pine nuts, olive oil, white wine

The pizza dolce di Beridde, also known as the pizza ebraica [1] or diamanti romani, is an unleavened sweet bread associated with the city of Rome, in the Lazio region of Italy. This traditional dessert is prepared by the Roman Jewish community on the occasion of a Brit milah (ceremony of circumcision).[2]

Etymology

The name pizza is here to be understood not in the recent meaning that has spread into Italian through the Neapolitan language, but in the original Medieval Latin meaning of 'focaccia',[3] and thus suggests, as in the case of the Easter pizza, an ancient origin of the dish. The term pizza in Medieval Latin is first attested in 966 in Naples and in 997 in Gaeta, and was also used to designate ceremonial foods cooked for Easter such as Easter pizzas.[4] Similar preparations (pizza alla rustica, pizza di ricotta) are reported in early 19th century cookery manuals such as Vincenzo Agnoletti's.

The cake's appellation Beridde derives from the Judeo-Roman form of the word Brit milah ('covenant of circumcision' in Hebrew), i.e. the ritual circumcision of male infants in the community.[5]

History

The origins of the dish are obscure, but the cake may have been brought to Rome by Spanish Jews who were driven out of Spain in 1492 or by those expelled from Sicily in 1493.[6] This would explain that the ingredients include nuts, sultanas and candied fruit, typical of the cuisine in Muslim countries.

The pizza ebraica was reportedly Pope Benedict XVI's favorite dessert.[7] [8]

Ingredients

The main ingredients of the bread, which contains neither eggs nor yeast, are flour, sugar, almonds (both whole and ground), raisins, candied fruit (usually candied citron), olive oil or other vegetable oil, white wine and pine nuts.

Preparation

The ingredients are mixed together with wine and lukewarm oil, kneading them to form a type of soft sweet pastry dough that must not stick to the hands.[9] This is rolled out with a rolling pin to a thickness of about, cut into lozenges or rectangles[5] (the former are called diamanti), and baked in a very hot oven until a crust forms on the surface, while the inside must remain soft.[10]

Religious tradition and sale

A lozenge of the cake is traditionally given to each participant of the circumcision feast at the end of the ceremony.[6] It is contained in a bag of sweets called kavodde,[11] which means 'dignity' in Hebrew and symbolises the commandment to honour one's father and mother.[12]

In addition to being prepared in families for the feast of circumcision, pizza di Beridde is sold by kosher bakeries such as the Pasticceria Boccione in the Roman Ghetto (in Sant'Angelo rione),[5] along with other traditional Jewish sweets, such as ricotta and sour cherry tart and mostaccioli.[7]

See also

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Book: Elisabetta Putini. 101 cose da fare a Roma con il tuo bambino. April 2011. IT. Newton Compton. Rome. 9788854127425.
  2. Web site: Skinazi . Karen . 22 August 2022 . A Jewish pizza from Rome? I need a slice of that . 2023-03-18 . . 16 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316203628/https://www.thejc.com/life-and-culture/all/a-jewish-pizza-from-rome-i-need-a-slice-of-that-4tPRys6oW3bCIssMMcWwZz . live .
  3. Book: Pizza . Vocabolario Treccani . Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana . IT . 5 April 2021 . 27 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210227012325/https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/pizza/ . live .
  4. Web site: Pizza. Enciclopedia online. Treccani. 18 February 2022. IT. 18 February 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220218092755/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/pizza/. live.
  5. Web site: Pizza di Beridde o Pizza dolce ebraica. Elena Pavoncello. 7 August 2018. it. 19 March 2023. Progetto Dreyfus. 19 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230319153716/https://www.progettodreyfus.com/pizza-dolce-ebraica/. live.
  6. Web site: Catalano . Giustino . 26 February 2023 . Storia in cucina – La Pizza di Beridde o Pizza Ebraica . 16 March 2023 . IT . 18 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230318195209/https://www.ditestaedigola.com/storia-in-cucina-la-pizza-di-beridde-o-pizza-ebraica/ . live .
  7. Web site: Koenig . Leah . 18 March 2019 . Pizza Like No Other . 2019-12-11 . . en . 16 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316203356/https://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/Pizza-Like-No-Other/ . live .
  8. Web site: Rummel . Rachel . Pizza Ebraica . 2023-03-18 . . 31 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220831180312/https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/pizza-ebraica-jewish-rome . live .
  9. Web site: Pizza dolce di Beridde . 16 March 2023 . Cuochinprogress . 7 April 2017 . IT . 16 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316161002/https://blog.giallozafferano.it/cuochinprogress/pizza-dolce-di-beridde/ . live .
  10. Web site: Pizza di Beridde or sweet Jewish-Roman Pizza. Benedetta Jasmine Guetta. 19 March 2023. 2 May 2014 . 19 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230319160322/https://www.labna.it/en/beridde-pizza-or-sweet-jewish-roman-pizza.html. live.
  11. Web site: Sacchetto Kavodde . 19 March 2023 . OG di Orietta Greci . 5 March 2020 . it . 8 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221208135326/https://www.ogcreazioni.com/prodotto/art-ln-55-sacchetto-kavodde-benvenuto/ . live .
  12. Web site: Rabbi Nachum Amsel . How to Show Respect for a Parent: A Jewish View . 20 March 2023 . My Jewish Learning . 20 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230320184532/https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/how-to-show-respect-for-a-parent-a-jewish-view/ . live .

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