Why is the typical Roman dessert with cream called maritozzo?
The day of one of the tastiest Roman desserts is approaching and let’s go and discover some curiosities. And in December Maritozzo Day in the Capital.
For those who live in Rome or travel to the capital for tourism, a stop not to be missed is to eat il Maritozzo, a sweet from Lazio, made up of very soft bread that is slightly sweet and filled with fresh whipped cream. One of the Roman reference points for this dessert is located in via Ettore Rolli: “Er Maritozzaro” is always full of people and you have to queue punctually to be able to bite into one.
An originally poor sweet, which in the Middle Ages was a meal for peasants deriving from an old sweet bun that dates back to ancient Rome. The etymology of the word derives from “husband”, in fact during the first Friday of March, the man who wanted to formalize his bond with a marriage proposal, used the sweet to hide a ring to give to the future bride.
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Even the girls who wanted to get married, prepared them at home and then donated them to potential suitors during village festivals.
Precisely for this marriage connection, a possible sexual allusion intrinsic to the characteristics of the dessert is hypothesized.
Maritozzo is tasty and, even if rich in cream, it is not cloying and is suitable for fun sharing with friends.
To prepare it you need manitoba flour, rich in gluten and therefore suitable for baked goods, dry brewer’s yeast to expand the dough and make it even more soft with butter and eggs, water, milk, sugar and honey to sweeten and a pinch of salt to balance the taste. Flavoring is obtained with vanilla and grated lemon and/or orange peel. Some versions include raisins, but bread without elements tends to be preferred in Rome.
Saturday 3 December 2022 will be an important day to celebrate the Roman Maritozzo created by Tavole Romane, the independent source of reference for gastronomy enthusiasts. As per tradition, a party takes place every first Saturday in December where dozens of venues throughout the capital, in the districts of Rome but also in other areas of Italy, offer the soft loaves in all their variations.
In 1833, the Roman poet Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli described them in this way: “ Maritozzoli are certain loaves of a rhomboidal shape, made up of flour, oil, sugar, and sometimes candy, or aniseed, or raisins. These are consumed in Rome during Lent, in which time of fasting those who would have eaten nothing during the rest of the year are seen eating for coffee day and evening.
HOW TO MAKE MARITOZZO
