History of Neapolitan pastiera, the symbol of Easter

History of pastiera: the legend of the mermaid

Originally from Campania but now widespread in the whole country, Neapolitan pastiera is a dessert that can be found in the city during the Easter holidays. It hides many stories about its origin, starting from the story of the mermaid Partenope, symbol of the city and protagonist of the fountain in Piazza Sannazzaro. According to the legend, the mythological figure emerged every spring from the waters to offer songs to the local people, who, in order to thank her, commissioned seven of the most beautiful girls from the villages around the gulf to give her some gifts: wheat, flour, ricotta cheese, eggs, orange flower water, sugar and spices. The mermaid brought these specialties to the gods, who mixed them together, thus giving rise to the dessert.

The queen who never smiles

Another tale has it, instead, that pastiera was born by chance, after fishermen's wives had left overnight some baskets with ricotta cheese, candied fruit, wheat, eggs and orange flowers as offering to the Sea, in order to make their husbands come back home safe and sound. There is then the story of the ‘Queen who never smiles’, nickname of Maria Theresa of Austria, wife of King Ferdinand I of Bourbon: glutton by nature, the king convinced his wife to taste this spring dessert, succeeding in making her smile for the first time. The current version of pastiera, however, seems to have been developed in the kitchen of the Church of San Gregorio Armeno, once again, a dessert that contains all the spring symbols par excellence: wheat, the cycle of rebirth, egg, meaning new life, and orange blossom water as the announcement of spring.

Recipe for the pastiera

Ingredients

For the pastry

300 g flour

150 g butter

2 eggs

1 pinch of salt

For the filling

400 g cooked wheat

500 g ricotta

½ glass of milk

200 g sugar

3 eggs

3 tablespoons of orange blossom water

100 g candied orange peel

Vanilla

1 pinch of salt

Cinnamon

Orange zest

Butter and flour for greasing

Sift the flour into a large bowl, make a well and add the soft diced butter, stir in a pinch of salt and rub in with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a well again and place the eggs and sugar in the centre. Quickly knead again the ingredients, until the dough becomes to come together. Then form the pastry into a disc, wrap with clingfilm and refrigerate in the least cold part of the fridge for at least an hour.

Bring milk to boil, then remove from the heat and add the wheat, whisking with a fork. Add sugar, mix well and let it cool completely. Place the ricotta in a bowl, then add the milk mixture, eggs, orange blossom water, candied orange peel, vanilla e orange zest. Mix all the ingredients together. Grease a cake pan with butter and flour, roll out half of the pastry and place it in the pan, pour over the mixture. Roll out the other part of the dough, cut it into stripes and place them on the top of the cake. Bake the pastiera at 180°C for about 1 hour.