- Cassata
Cassata or Cassata siciliana is a traditional sweet from the area of
Palermo ,Sicily (Italy ). Cassata may also refer to a Neapolitan ice cream containing candied or dried fruit and nuts.Etymology
It is unknown whether the Sicilian word "cassata" comes from
Arabic "qashatah" (small bowl-shaped dessert) orLatin "caseata" (cheese concoction).Origin
The dessert was first introduced during the Arab rule of Sicily from the 9th to the
11th century Fact|date=June 2007. In the Middle Ages, it was a specialty to be found only in the monasteries of Palermo whereNuns had perfected the dessert and sold it to the public. It later became a favorite treat of the whole island, for which reason it's known throughout Italy and abroad as "cassata siciliana."Traditional
The cassata is similar to small
cake , and consists of roundsponge cake moistened withfruit juices orliqueur . It is then layered withricotta cheese,candied peel , and achocolate orvanilla filling similar tocannoli cream. It is covered with a shell ofmarzipan , pink and green pastel colored icing, and decorative designs. The cassata is finally topped withcandied fruit depicting cherries and slices of citrus fruit native to Sicily.Variations
Unlike the round, traditional shape as was originally introduced by the Arabs, some cassata are made in the form of a rectangle, square, or box. It's interesting to note that the word "box" in Italian is "cassa", although it's unlikely that the word "cassata" originated from this term.
When making a cassata, the layers of cheese can be substituted by layers of
gelato (Italian ice cream) with the final product similar to anice cream cake .More rarely, some cassata are made similar to a
pie , containing a top and bottom crust, filled with ricotta, and baked in the oven.Ice-cream
"Cassata" can also refer to a flavor of ice-cream inspired by the sweet.
Related
Cannoli
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