Like the rituals which, as we have mentioned before, have left
their mark on popular Romagnol cooking, the tradition of making
sweets and desserts for ceremonies (festivals, baptisms, confirmations,
weddings) has left a sweet trail even today in our towns, villages
and countryside.
Some examples are Bracciatello (brazadel: biscuits with a hole
in the middle to put on children’s fingers); Bustreng (whose
name goes back to barbaric times) a cake whose recipe is a jealously
guarded secret by the housewives of Borghi (there are 32 ingredients
but only 20 of them are common knowledge) and is celebrated on
the second Sunday of May; Pagnotta (Easter cake) which is celebrated
with a festival in Sarsina but which the people of Mercato Saraceno
claim to have invented; Migliaccio (è Miaz , made with
pig’s blood), a traditional winter cake.
The sweet-smelling traditional Ciambella is unequalled in its
simplicity: made with eggs and flour with the famous hole in
the middle and “zuppa inglese” (or rather Zuppa romagnola)
with custard and chocolate, soaked in “alchermes” (a
pink liqueur).
Two old-fashioned products which are made after the grape harvest
with grape must are currently enjoying a well-deserved return:
Savor and Saba. Savor (E’ Savor, Savour) whose name in
dialect reflects its rural origins, is a kind of delicious, energy-giving
jam made with different types of fruit, mixed with grape must,
whose preparation is long and time-consuming; it can be eaten
on its own or on bread, jam tarts, cakes etc. The Savor festival
takes place at Montegelli di Sogliano the last weekend of September.
Saba (Sapa) is a sweet wine syrup which was used by the Romans
to sweeten their wine, as an alternative to honey; up to a few
decades ago, it was common practice to eat Saba as a sorbet,
by putting freshly fallen snow into your glass before pouring
in the syrup. Alternatively, Saba can be used to add a bit of
taste to food, fruit, vegetables and bread.
