Lobster Tails

Posted on December 2, 2021 by babbityjean

What comes to mind when you think of iconic symbols of Naples?  Many people might say Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii, Christmas creches, songs in dialect, pizza or limoncello.  Another culinary delicacy to add to the list is the sfogliatella, a clam-shaped pastry native to Campania.  Admired for its texture and subtle sweetness, a sfogliatella can be eaten any time, but most often accompanies an espresso for breakfast.  Pronounced roughly sfo-ya-tel-la, its name means “small, thin leaf” as the pastry’s texture resembles stacked leaves.

Like other icons, the sfogliatella has a rich history.  According to legend, a nun at the Santa Rosa Monastery/Convent in the fishing village of Conca dei Marini in the province of Salerno, first created the pastry:  She combined semolina with lemon liqueur, sugar and dried fruit; then she kneaded dough into two sheets and put the semolina mixture in the center as a filling.  Named after the convent of Santa Rosa, the pastry made its way to the city of Naples where a pastry shop owner named Pasquale Pintauro began selling the pastries in 1818.  Today, the Monastero Santa Rosa is a luxury hotel and spa perched on a cliff over the Amalfi coast between Amalfi and Positano.

There are two varieties of sfogliatelle in Italy today and one in the United States.  The classic is Sfogliatella Riccia (for “curly”) which is made from dough similar to phyllo.  It is rolled into a cylinder, sliced into coins, then formed into a cone that houses a filling.  The pastry is baked until the layers separate, forming the characteristic ridges.  It should be eaten hot, right out of the oven, like croissants.

Sfogliatella Frolla (for “smooth” or “soft”) is a simpler, less labor-intensive pastry that uses a dough similar to pie crust and does not form the characteristic layers of the riccia variety.  Both types can have a variety of fillings.  The classic filling is a custard-like mixture of semolina, sugar, ricotta, eggs, candied citrus peel and a hint of cinnamon.  Some recipes incorporate limoncello or marmalade; some recipes substitute almond paste for the creamy custard.

The American version is called Coda d’aragosta, or more popularly, Lobster Tails.  They are a slightly larger version of the sfogliatella riccia and filled with choux pastry (a mixture of butter, water, flour and eggs) before baking.  The high moisture content of choux pastry creates steam, which causes the pastry to puff up in the oven and provides space for the final filling.  This mixture is usually a mixture of pastry cream (a thick, creamy custard) and whipped cream, which is sweeter than the fillings of the Italian pastries. 

Making the classic Italian sfogliatella can be a three-day process.  Like its iconic 18th- century relative– the Neapolitan pizza– sfogliatelle require time and skill.  Maybe that’s why the original is not readily available in the United States.

Posted in Campania, Cucina italiana, English, Foto, Italia, Italoamericani, Storia | Leave a comment

La più antica banca al mondo

Posted on November 18, 2021 by babbityjean

La parola inglese bank deriva dalla parola italiana “banco” o “banca”, che originariamente si riferiva a una panca con schienale, poi un sedile in legno. La parola in seguito, nel 1300, prese il significato di bancone di negozio, poi ancora nel 1500 banco da lavoro per artigiani. Infine indicava lo sportello dove si scambiava il denaro arrivando a designare l’istituzione stessa che offriva servizi finanziari.

La moderna industria bancaria nacque e si sviluppò in Italia durante il Medioevo e il primo Rinascimento. L’Italia era la principale potenza economica europea. Le ricche città del centro-nord come Firenze, Siena, Milano, Venezia, Genova e Lucca furono centri commerciali, che intrattenevano scambi con stati stranieri. Con l’aumento del commercio internazionale, i viaggi per terra e per mare verso il resto dell’Europa e verso l’Oriente furono molto lunghi e rischiosi. L’istituzione di banche in città commerciali fu fondamentale per facilitare il commercio. Le lettere di credito, che erano semplicemente i primi assegni, furono create per liberare i commercianti dai pericoli di essere derubati e uccisi mentre trasportavano grandi quantità di denaro o beni di valore durante i loro lunghi viaggi. I banchieri fiorentini inventarono queste lettere di credito poiché, all’inizio del XV secolo, Firenze ospitava ben 80 banche, che prestavano denaro a re, imperatori e papi.


È la città di Siena in Toscana, che ospita la più antica banca del mondo in attività continuativa. Fondata nel 1472, la Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena è stata per oltre sei secoli grande parte della fisionomia di Siena.  È stato il più grande centro per l’impiego della città e la sua fondazione ha conferito profitti bancari a molte attività urbane, tra cui asili nido, università, ambulanze, ospedali e servizi sanitari.  Ha fornito nel corso dei secoli i costumi che indossavano  le contrade rivali nelle processioni che precedono il Palio, la corsa di cavalli che si corre solitamente due volte ogni estate nella bellissima piazza del Campo. La banca era conosciuta da molti come Babbo Monte, cioè un membro della famiglia.

Ma la banca ha attualmente seri problemi a causa di una lunga serie di affari sfortunati, imbrogli finanziari, illeciti criminali e persino una morte misteriosa. I problemi sono iniziati nel 2008 dopo aver pagato più di quanto potesse permettersi per acquisire una banca rivale. Nel 2013 sono stati indagati i dirigenti delle banche perché accusati di avere nascosto le crescenti perdite alle autorità di regolamentazione e agli azionisti. Il responsabile delle comunicazioni della banca è stato trovato morto in un vicolo, sotto la finestra del suo ufficio, in un apparente suicidio; la polizia non ha trovato prove di gioco scorretto. Nel 2019 i dirigenti delle banche sono stati condannati per aver utilizzato illegalmente derivati ​​complessi per coprire i problemi della banca.

E ora Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena non è riuscito a sostenere lo stress delle sue finanze, risultando il prestatore più debole d’Europa. Sono in corso le trattative per la cessione ad UniCredit anche se le trattative sono in stallo da ottobre 2021. Se la cessione andrà a buon fine, le operazioni della banca sarebbero gestite dalla sede di UniCredit di Milano (non più dalla sala a volta rivestita in pietra con opere d’arte medievali e rinascimentali nella fortezza del XV secolo di Siena nel centro storico della città). Si perderebbero molti posti di lavoro e l’equilibrio psicologico del Siena ne risentirebbe.

Ma Siena non deve cercare lontano per trovare una nuova missione; infatti un produttore farmaceutico britannico ha un importante centro di ricerca in città, dove vengono sviluppati vaccini per malattie come il tifo. Un’altra valida realtà è Toscana Life Sciences, un’organizzazione no profit di Siena che aiuta le start-up a rimettersi in piedi. Uno dei suoi laboratori di ricerca sta sviluppando un trattamento avanzato con anticorpi monoclonali per il coronavirus. Se avrà successo, sarebbe meno costoso di altri trattamenti e potrebbe essere somministrato senza ospedalizzare i pazienti.

Posted in Architecture, Firenze, Foto, Italia, Italiano, Medicina, Milano, Storia, Toscana | Leave a comment

The Oldest Bank in the World

Posted on November 18, 2021 by babbityjean

The English word “bank” comes from the Italian word “banco” or “banca,” which originally referred to a bench with a back, then a bench’s wooden seat.  The word evolved to mean a shop counter in the 1300s, then a craftsman’s workbench in the 1500s.  Finally, it evolved from meaning the counter where money was exchanged to meaning the institution itself that offers financial services.

The modern banking industry was born and developed in Italy during the Middle Ages and early Renaissance.  Italy was Europe’s main economic power.  Rich northern cities like Florence, Siena, Milan, Venice, Genoa and Lucca were centers of commerce, trading with foreign states.  As international trade increased, journeys by land and sea to the rest of Europe and to the Orient were very long and hazardous.  The establishment of banks in the trading centers was crucial to facilitating commerce.  Letters of credit, which were simply the first checks, were created in order to free merchants from the dangers of being robbed and killed while carrying great amounts of cash or valuable goods during their lengthy travels.  Florentine bankers invented these letters of credit, and, by the early 15th century, Florence was home to about 80 banks, which lent money to kings, emperors and popes.

It is the city of Siena in Tuscany that is home to the world’s oldest continuously operating bank.  Founded in 1472, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena became over more than six centuries enmeshed in the identity of Siena.  It has been the city’s largest employer, and its foundation has bestowed bank profits on many civic activities, including kindergartens, the university, and ambulance, hospital and health services.  It has provided the costumes that rival clans wear in the processions preceding the Palio, the bareback horse race usually run twice each summer in Siena’s central plaza.  The bank was known by many as Babbo Monte (“Daddy Monte”), that is, a member of the family.

But the bank is now in serious trouble stemming from a long-running saga of ill-fated deals, financial shenanigans, criminal wrongdoing and even a mysterious death.  Its troubles began in 2008 after it paid more than it could afford to acquire a rival bank.  In 2013 allegations were investigated that bank executives hid mounting losses from regulators and shareholders.  The bank’s head of communications was found dead in an alley below his office window in an apparent suicide; the police did not find evidence of foul play.  In 2019 bank executives were convicted of illegally using complex derivatives to cover up the bank’s problems. 

And now Banca Monte dei Paschi has failed a stress test of its finances and has earned a new distinction as Europe’s weakest lender.  Negotiations are under way for a sale to UniCredit, although talks stalled in late October 2021. If it goes through  The bank’s operations would be managed from UniCredit’s headquarters in Milan rather than from the vaulted, stone-lined room with medieval and Renaissance artwork in Siena’s 15th-century fortress in the city’s old quarter.  Many jobs would be lost, and the psychological toll on Siena would be high.

But Siena doesn’t have to search far to find a new mission—health care.  A British drug maker has a major research center in Siena, which develops vaccines for diseases like typhoid that are prevalent in poorer countries.  Toscana Life Sciences, a nonprofit in Siena, helps start-up companies to get on their feet.  One of its research labs is developing an advanced monoclonal antibody treatment for coronavirus.  If it is successful, it would be less expensive than other treatments and could be administered without hospitalizing patients.  

Posted in Architecture, English, Firenze, Foto, Genova, Italia, Medicina, Milano, Storia, Toscana | Leave a comment