The ABC's of Campania Food & Wine: B
B is for babà al rum and biancolella
B is for babà al rum:
The sweet and yeasty dough of the babà al rum cake is soaked in a syrup of lemon or orange juice and rum, and can be found in all of Campania. It is most popular in Naples, the city of its origins, and every pasticceria will have a selection of these mushroom-shaped cakes displayed behind the counter window and sold fresh. When ordered, the banconista drizzles it with more sweetened rum and tops it with a dollop of whipped cream. These treats are most often found in bakeries and pastry shops instead of in a nonna’s kitchen because of the time-consuming baking methods involved. The origins of babà al rum are difficult to pinpoint. Many countries have a form of this cake, seen as baba au rhum in France, babka in Poland, and even America’s sticky buns, all of which are similar in recipe and method. The true origins of this cake follow a winding path in history that, most likely, begins with the Polish king Stanislas Lesczinski (1677 – 1766), exiled to France to become the Duke of Lorraine. As one legend tells it, while eating his gugelhupf, or bundt cake, he dipped it in rum, set it aflame, and deemed his new dessert babà al rum after his favorite literary character Ali Baba from One Thousand and One Nights. The name may also have come from a variation of the slightly derogatory Polish word for old lady, “babka” because the cake mold resembles the folds of an old lady’s skirt. How the babà al rum traveled from the Polish court in Lorraine to Naples is another tale of conjecture. During the Bourbon Period of Naples (1734 - 1860), Maria Carolina, wife of King Ferdinand I, was impressed by her sister Marie Antoinette’s cuisine in Versailles. Maria Carolina sent for her own French cooks to populate the royal kitchen in Naples, and with them they brought the babà al rum. Whatever the exact origins are, the babà al rum has since been a popular dessert throughout Campania, and is now as much a part of Naples as pizza is.
TOURING INFORMATION:
Gran Caffé Gambrinus Piazza del Plebiscito 1, Via Chiaia 1-2, Napoli 80132 Tel. +39 0814 17584 Hours: 7:00 am to midnight Carraturo Via Casanova 97, Napoli 80319 Tel. +39 0815 545364 Pasticceria Scaturchio Piazza San Domenico Maggiore, 19, 80134 Napoli Tel. +39 0815 516944 or +39 0815 517031 Email: info@scaturchio.it Pasticceria Moccia Via San Pasquale, 24 a Chiaia, 80121 Napoli Hours: 7:30 am to 8:30 pm
B is for biancolella:
The grape variety biancolella is found in the land surrounding the Gulf of Naples in Campi Flegrei, Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast, and the islands of Capri and Ischia. Of these areas, Capri, Ischia and Campi Flegrei have attained DOC status. The biancolella is used as the primary grape variety in some white wines, as well as a blending variety with other grapes. The finished product is a dry, white wine with fresh yet subtle fruit hints and a touch of almond finish that pairs beautifully with local fish entrees. Two wines with a high percentage of biancolella, or about 85%, are Casa D’Ambra Forestera (DOC) and Cantine Pietratorcia (DOC). The blend of biancolella and forestera also produces a sparkling wine. It is on the island of Ischia that the biancolella grape is cultivated the most. The salty sea winds, ashy, volcanic soil, and high elevations on Ischia have contributed their environmental elements to the cultivation of this grape known only to these areas in Campania. Ischia has limited land to offer within its island confines, and biancolella grapevines are seen growing on terraces. To harvest them, a rack-and-pinion trolley is accelerated along a monorail, and the grapes are harvested by hand, very carefully. As with aglianico, this biancolella grape variety is also said to have first been brought over and cultivated by the ancient Greeks. Overall, this wine is by no means rare, though it can be hard to come by due to its specific geographic location. Thus, the biancolella is yet another reason to visit the windswept views of Ischia, the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Naples, and the sweeping vistas of Campania.
Sources:
Books, Madison. 1,001 Foods to Die For. Andrews McMeel Publishing 1 Nov 2007. Garwood, Duncan and Josephine Quintero. Naples and the Amalfi Coast. Lonely Planet 2005. Gold, Susannah. “Italian Indigenous Varieties: Biancolella Bianca From Campania.†avvinare. Hawkins, Anthony. Winegrape Glossary. “I Vini Campani.†Ristorante President Pompei. Paolo Gramaglia 2004. Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. Encyclopedia of Kitchen History. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis Books, Inc. 2007.