Frutta martorana
Frutta Martorana or Frutta di Martorana (plural: Frutti (di) Martorana ) is a Sicilian sweet made from marzipan in the form of various fruits. It is one of the oldest and most popular pastries on the island.
history
The name Frutta Martorana goes back to the La Martorana monastery in Palermo , which was founded by Eloisia Martorana at the end of the 12th century. The nuns knew the secret of making marzipan from the time of Arab domination and have passed it on from generation to generation ever since. On the occasion of a feast for Pope Clement V in 1308, two trees were hung with real-looking apples, grapes and figs made from marzipan. With the success that the fruits had with the festival guests, the traditional production of Frutti di Martorana began.
Manufacturing
The Sicilian marzipan dough, also called pasta reale , is made from peeled almonds, powdered sugar, lemon essence or orange blossom water and vanilla. Fruits of all kinds are modeled from this mass and colored and painted with vegetable dyes so that they look deceptively real. At Easter, Picureddi , little Easter lambs and other religious symbols are formed from the pasta real .
additional
The church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio , which was annexed to the monastery in the 15th century, has been called La Martorana in Palermo ever since .
literature
- Lilliana Ballina: La frutta martorana . Aurora Books, Santiago de Chile 1992, ISBN 950-99953-2-0 (Italian).
