

Sections
Services
Highlight
Ana Vega Pérez de Arlucea
Viernes, 27 de diciembre 2024, 00:10
Every December 26th, two distinct Spains emerge. In one, people reluctantly return to work, trying to offset the excesses of the previous two days with pineapple, oranges, and salad. In the other, comprising Catalonia, much of the Balearic Islands, and some municipalities in the Valencian Community, they celebrate Saint Stephen's Day. The Diada de Sant Esteve extends the holiday feast with another festive meal, this time featuring cannelloni and stuffed chicken. Sometimes the chicken is replaced by beef round, fish stew, or another celebratory dish, but cannelloni is indispensable. Without cannelloni, there is no Saint Stephen's Day, period.
As I write this, some may be patiently waiting for their batch of cannelloni, already prepared and ready to bake, to finish defrosting. Others, less prepared or perhaps fond of following rituals on their designated date, might be roasting meats (chicken, pork, a piece of beef, and some bacon), vegetables, and the essential touch of offal (lamb brains, chicken giblets, or a bit of pâté) in an oven tray. They will then grind everything together with a mincer until achieving a smooth filling to which they might add a few tablespoons of béchamel if necessary. They will place this filling inside the already cooked cannelloni sheets, roll them up, lovingly place them in a dish, cover everything with béchamel and grated cheese, and wait until mealtime to gratinate the dish and savour it.
Don't ask me why, but Sant Esteve cannelloni must be served in odd numbers (three or five per person), so considering that the meal on that day is family-oriented in the broadest sense and the guests are numerous, one usually has to prepare cannelloni as if for a regiment.
What distinguishes them from other cannelloni recipes is that they do not use pre-minced meat but rather meat prepared in a traditional roast, they do not contain tomato, and, of course, they are the classic bite of Saint Stephen's Day. In the past, on this festive day, a dish called 'arròs de colls y punys' (rice with necks and fists) was typically served, making use of the giblets, neck, and wing tips of the bird that had been roasted for Christmas. It is now said that cannelloni also originated as a recycling recipe—supposedly from the leftover meats of the Christmas stew—but believe me: the leftovers from the 25th are not enough, and the noble origin of the cannelloni tradition did not lead to making them with mere scraps.
Like everyone else, you might bet that cannelloni is an Italian recipe that, like macaroni, pizza, or lasagna, eventually became popular worldwide. But that's not the case, dear readers. The misunderstanding dates back a long time, and we all have it ingrained in our minds, but in defence of the Italians, it must be said that they were not the ones who spread the myth.
In the boot-shaped country, they claim that cannelloni were invented in 1924 by Salvatore Coletta, a chef from Amalfi. This date clashes with the fact that on March 30, 1886, 38 years before their supposed creation, "canalonis à la Rossini" were already being eaten in Barcelona. Specifically, at the Café del Liceo, a meeting point for the most sophisticated and cultured Catalan bourgeoisie due to its location: in the basement of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, where it had been open since 1847. There, one could have a snack before and after opera performances, and it was also an elegant café-restaurant where 'monsieur' Laffitte, its head chef between 1881 and 1888, offered French specialties such as 'perdrix au salmis', 'morue à la provençale', 'bouillabaisse', or 'fricandeau à la marseillase'. As several of these recipes demonstrate, Laffitte's connection with Provençal cuisine was intense, and surely for that reason (was he born on the Côte d'Azur?) he was inspired to cook in that Liceo kitchen a typically Marseillais dish: cannelloni.
In Italy, there were 'cannelloni', large-sized macaroni, and in France 'cannelons', filled pastry cylinders, but 'canaloni' or 'caneloni' were at least since the mid-19th century a typically Provençal delicacy. Little known outside Marseille, Nice, or Arles, they were very large pasta tubes that, once cooked, were split lengthwise to fill them with a stuffing made of meat, brains, and foie, and then closed again before covering them with cheese. They could also be made with square-shaped pasta sheets, the same ones marketed by a famous establishment in Marseille known as Maison Rossini. They manufactured pasta for ravioli and cannelloni and also sold them filled and cooked au gratin.
Although the composer Gioachino Rossini was a renowned gourmet and numerous recipes bear his name (including some macaroni), the Rossini cannelloni are a Marseillais invention that, by chance, made its way to Catalonia. In the early 20th century, they became tremendously fashionable and ended up being included in the Saint Stephen's Day menu, but how fitting that their first appearance was in the temple of opera.
Publicidad
Publicidad
Te puede interesar
Publicidad
Publicidad
Esta funcionalidad es exclusiva para registrados.
Reporta un error en esta noticia
Comentar es una ventaja exclusiva para registrados
¿Ya eres registrado?
Inicia sesiónNecesitas ser suscriptor para poder votar.