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By Floria Parmiani |
The tradition of the Epiphany is still sometimes
celebrated in a remarkable way in Tuscany. After dark on the evening of January
5th, carolers costumed as the Witch, La Befana, honor the Epifania by traveling
from house to house and farm to farm to sing both traditional and modern songs
of this holiday. The caroling ushers in the celebration, which takes place on
the 6th of January when La Befana herself comes in the evening to bring presents
to the children.
The traditional legend behind this custom tells us that in times long past in
Tuscany, a man who would dress himself as a witch and surround himself with
"befanotti." These were shrewd and desperate low-life characters that
wore false beards, inside-out jackets, and smeared their faces with grease. This
group of men is said to have begged, and perhaps given their accumulated
offerings to the poor, much like the English legend of Robin Hood. It is also
said that they kept some of their booty for themselves!
Even today, throughout Tuscany, and especially in the Maremma, on the night
between the 5th and the 6th of January, groups of men go from farm to farm and
through the villages singing, among other tunes, a begging song. Like the befanotti
of old, they are dressed in old clothes and they smear their faces with
soot.
The begging song describes La Befana, who promises gifts for everyone; the song
then ends with a request for offerings. The offerings collected are usually
food, which is eaten in a meal shared among the befanotti.
The Epifania
In Florence, in the very early 17th Century, festive
gift giving came at the Epifania, a time of mirth ushering the Carnevale season.
Caterina de' Medici was given an array of ostentatiously expensive gifts by her
husband, Cosimo II, Duke of Mantua. The mirthful and jocular connotations of the
Feast of the Epifania come to us from this extravagant gift giving. Cosimo
himself enjoyed being teased for the sumptuous nature of his gifts to his wife,
and the idea of a fanciful holiday, complete with gifts, became popular.
That there were men at court who dressed in costume seems to be the origin of
the befanotti, who have somehow become transfigured into La Befana, an
old witch who brings presents to children at the Epifania! One explanation
traces this transformation through the young men who wore costumes in medieval
plays, and then to the revelers who marched through the streets of Florence in
the Carnevale parades.
Cenci
A popular way of celebrating the Feast of the Epifania
and the arrival of La Befana is to make and serve the first batch of Cenci, the
traditional pastry that is associated both with Epifania and Carnevale. This
pastry goes by a variety of names throughout Italy, but in Florence and the
surrounding area, it is always Cenci.
The name Cenci means tatters, "stuff" or scraps of fabric used for
dusting or cleaning, or rags, and it doesn't take much imagination to associate
these rags with those worn on the night before Epifania by the befanotti.
Here is recipe for this delicious treat:
2 1/4 Cups (225 grams) all-purpose white flour, sifted
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup (35 grams) granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon Vin Santo; brandy, sherry or rum can be substituted; more for
moistening the dough if necessary
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
Extra virgin olive oil and a deep kettle for frying
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Just as if you were making dough for pasta, make a mound of the flour with a
deep well in the center. Into the well place the oil, sugar, eggs, tablespoon of
the Vin Santo, vanilla and salt. Again, as if you were making pasta, gently work
this into dough, taking flour into the well from its edge until the ingredients
are just mixed. If the dough begins to get stiff, moisten with just a little of
the liquor, as the dough should remain very pliable.
Knead the dough well, and then cover with a cloth and leave in a cool place to
rest for one hour. Roll the dough quite thin with a rolling pin, and cut into
the traditional shape of a strip, about 8 inches or 20 cm long, and 1/2 an inch
or 3 cm wide, tied in a loose knot.
Deep-fry the Cenci in hot oil, just a few at time, until they turn golden brown
and puff up. Drain them on paper towels, and then sift powdered sugar over them
while warm. Eat these delicious treats warm or cold, and think of La Befana on
her rounds!
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