The Roccocos: The history of the Neapolitan Roccoco is nothing short of particular and has very ancient origins. Imagine having a time machine at your disposal and going back to the Middle Ages, precisely to the period in which Sancha of Aragon became the wife of King Robert of Anjou. Having become Duchess, she established a convent that could welcome and save prostitutes. The convent was located in Naples in the Maddalena area and therefore took the name of “Real Convento della Maddalena”. It was the nuns of the convent who invented the Roccocothe typical Christmas sweets with an ugly appearance but a surprising taste.
Round and made from almonds, their consistency is particularly hard. The name derives from the French “roccaille”, due to the shape that resembles a shell or the rocky consistency. It should not be forgotten that at the time relations between the Kingdom of Naples and France were excellent, which is why the nuns were influenced by a French term for the creation of the Rococo. But what characteristics must a Roccoco to be defined as a true Neapolitan rococo?
Very simple, it must be donut shaped, it must be hard and it must contain a special ingredient, the Neapolitan pisto. Don’t know what it is? No problem, I’ll explain it to you shortly. But first let’s dispel a myth. As already mentioned above, among the main characteristics of one of the Neapolitan desserts par excellence, there is the hard consistency.
There’s no point in clinging to recent news that offers a soft version. True Neapolitan rococo must be tough, or “tuost”. Precisely because of this characteristic they are also called “tooth breakers”, because a more risky bite could cause considerable damage to the teeth.
Once upon a time, in fact, Roccocos were soaked in a fortified wine to soften their consistency. Among the most used was, for example, Marsala. Today this custom has been lost and Rococo therefore remains hard and a little difficult to bite.
Roccocò: Here is the original recipe
Ingredients:
- 300 g of flour
- 150 g of toasted almonds
- 200 g of sugar
- 3 g of pisto
- 3 g of ammonia
- peel of 1 orange
- water to taste
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 egg
Method:
Start by combining flour, sugar, orange peel and pisto (HERE IS THE RECIPE FOR THE ORIGINAL NEAPOLITAN PISTO) Dissolve a pinch of salt in warm water and add to the mixture until it becomes kneadable. Then add the coarsely crumbled almonds (if you want you can also use hazelnuts instead or in addition) and finally the ammonia. Divide the dough into pieces, first cut into cords using your hands and then into round donuts of more or less equal size.
If you want, you can use some whole almonds pto decorate its surface. Used the beaten egg to brush the top of the Roccoco and make them so shiny and of their typical brownish color. Then cook in a preheated oven at 180° for about 25 minutes. Let cool and serve.
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