At carnival one usually associates the Desserts of the Italian tradition. Like the chiacchiere (or lies, or frappe), the castagnole and the frittelle. However, there is also a pasta dish, the macaroni pie, rooted in the history of Ferrara. (1)
The pie, from ancient Rome to the Este court
Already Marcus Gavius Apicius (37 BC – 25 AD) – in his ‘De re coquinaria’ – tells of the ‘pasticium’ as a collection of dishes wrapped in a pasta shell baked in the oven. From ancient Rome to the Middle Ages, this type of ‘cakes’ is recorded in the weekly menu of the Camaldolese monks in the 12th century, under the name of ‘greedy creations’. And it is in the centuries to come, between the 14th and 15th, that the pie becomes popular as a festive dish. To be shown off in countless variations, with fillings ranging from meats and game, fish and shellfish, even fruit and dried fruit.
The Ferrara-style macaroni pie, as it is still known today, dates back to the Este court (1208-1598). The sophisticated elaboration of fine ingredients places this dish in an elite context, reserved for guests at high-ranking banquets. The most precious ingredient is the white truffle which still distinguishes Bondeno, the oldest settlement in the area, as the ‘truffle city’.
The Ferrara macaroni pie, from the 18th century to today
The Ferrara pie presents itself as a golden cushion whose content and flavor are difficult to guess. The delicate shortcrust pastry shell, artfully decorated, meets the filling in a sweet and sour combination reminiscent of the Renaissance (which is no coincidence also found in pumpkin cappellacci). Macaroni, once egg pasta, cannot be missing. Then meat or pigeon ragù, chicken giblets, in a soft béchamel flavored with truffle and mushrooms.
‘A pie, but a trifle; There is inside balsamella; Breast and macaroni; There are threads inside; Eggs, butter with its cheese and for half a year never lacking a bit of truffle that wants to be felt: and this dough inside in the oven slowly as much as possible, here it becomes a bit golden; and then it changes slowly; with the golden it is almost gold, a bit pale in color; and then it makes the shortcrust pastry like a good school Artusi’ (Ugo Vasé, dialect poet, 19th-20th century)
From the 1700s to today the recipes have followed different cliché. Thanks above all to the Jewish community, which settled in Ferrara already in the 11th century and has influenced its culture with still tangible signs in urban planning, history and literature. But also in the recipe of the pie, vegetarian in the kosher version (since meats are not allowed together with milk derivatives). Finally the cooking, on a copper pan.
Dario Dongo and Susanna Tartari
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT – Food Times) and Égalité.
History and culture, food and sociability. Creator of the Renaissance Carnival of Ferrara and its palace dances, she has curated the artistic direction of various events, most recently the Living Nativity of Matera.
