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marina_bonomi) wrote2011-11-11 06:38 pm
marina_bonomi) wrote2011-11-11 06:38 pm
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November the 11th, Saint Martin's day.
It is likely it doesn't tell anything to you, but over here, in my part of Italy, it is an important day in countryside tradition.
The chestnuts are dropping. Today it is costumary to eat them for the first time in the year, usually in the evening (today is a work day, not an holiday) roasted on a fire in a special iron skillet with holes, like this one (the caldarroste) or boiled in water with sage leaves (ballotte), or, at the very least, to eat a cake made with chestnut flour, the castagnaccio , or the Montebianco a confection of boiled mashed chestnuts, cocoa, sugar, rum and whipped cream (handle with care).
No matter what your choice is, there is no doubt on what to drink: on Saint Martin's day the first new wine, the Novello, is brought out to be opened and tasted, and then discussion breaks: is it better this year? Did the last year ones have more 'body'? How good is this year's vintage going to be? The debate can go on well into the night.
Today was also the day on which the farm-year accounts were closed, mezzadria contracts ended and had to be renewed or closed, if the contract wasn't renewed the mezzadro farmer and his family had to move out of the house and property, that's the reason why in vernacular Northern Italian fare San Martino (to do Saint Martin) means 'to move house'.
From the weather we are having today, windy and cold, the onset of Saint Martin's Summer (...that lasts three days and a little bit according to a folk saying) seems in doubt, we'll see how tomorrow goes.
Note: the Wikipedia article on métayage says 'The system was once universal in certain provinces of Italy and France, and survived there in places until the end of the nineteenth century.'
In fact according to Italian law the stipulation of new mezzadria contracts was forbidden in September 1974.
It is likely it doesn't tell anything to you, but over here, in my part of Italy, it is an important day in countryside tradition.
The chestnuts are dropping. Today it is costumary to eat them for the first time in the year, usually in the evening (today is a work day, not an holiday) roasted on a fire in a special iron skillet with holes, like this one (the caldarroste) or boiled in water with sage leaves (ballotte), or, at the very least, to eat a cake made with chestnut flour, the castagnaccio , or the Montebianco a confection of boiled mashed chestnuts, cocoa, sugar, rum and whipped cream (handle with care).
No matter what your choice is, there is no doubt on what to drink: on Saint Martin's day the first new wine, the Novello, is brought out to be opened and tasted, and then discussion breaks: is it better this year? Did the last year ones have more 'body'? How good is this year's vintage going to be? The debate can go on well into the night.
Today was also the day on which the farm-year accounts were closed, mezzadria contracts ended and had to be renewed or closed, if the contract wasn't renewed the mezzadro farmer and his family had to move out of the house and property, that's the reason why in vernacular Northern Italian fare San Martino (to do Saint Martin) means 'to move house'.
From the weather we are having today, windy and cold, the onset of Saint Martin's Summer (...that lasts three days and a little bit according to a folk saying) seems in doubt, we'll see how tomorrow goes.
Note: the Wikipedia article on métayage says 'The system was once universal in certain provinces of Italy and France, and survived there in places until the end of the nineteenth century.'
In fact according to Italian law the stipulation of new mezzadria contracts was forbidden in September 1974.
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