Sweets and Perfumes of Naples: Sfogliatella
Dear friends, today I am going to tell you about another great discovery I made while wandering through the streets and neighborhoods of that famous and extraordinary city, Naples.
I was in a bar, which if I remember correctly was called “Carraturo“, and it was full of inviting looking sweets.
As every time I asked the bartender which was the best dessert and he without even thinking about it answered “Madam … try the famous Sfogliatella Riccia.
Guys, what can I tell you?
Crunchy outside, soft inside, the sfogliatella riccia is an explosion of scents and flavors. You cannot visit Naples without tasting this delicious dessert. Absolutely to be eaten hot!
Sfogliatella Riccia was born in 1600 in Amalfi in the conservatory of Santa Rosa da Lima. It was born almost by chance.
According to tradition, in fact, in the kitchen of the convent was left over some semolina dough and so, instead of throwing it away, was added dried fruit, sugar and limoncello obtaining a respectable filling.
It was then created a cap of puff pastry to cover the content and put in the oven. The result was exceptional and the dessert which was given the name Santarosa, in honor of the saint to whom it was dedicated, began to be enjoyed in the neighboring areas as well.
In 1818 the Neapolitan confectioner Pasquale Pintauro came into possession of the secret recipe from Amalfi and exported the dessert in nearby Naples, slightly modifying the procedure and inventing the “official” sfogliatella, which is still prepared today in the alleys of the Neapolitan city.
Today the most loved dessert by Neapolitans, sfogliatella riccia, is made of a crispy wrapping and a filling made of ricotta cheese and semolina. The shortcrust pastry, instead, has an external shell made of a shortcrust pastry dough.
However, there are also other variants of sfogliatella. For the greediest ones, in fact, it is possible to fall back on the lobster tail, which is longer and has a filling of whipped cream, chocolate cream, Chantilly cream or jam. In short, there is something for everyone!
