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Spongata di Busseto
Why this dish? Busseto, the town of Verdi's youth, has its *spongata*: a flat cake of honey, nuts and spices, dense and long-lasting, given at Christmas and Epiphany. Verdi, a native son, grew up with this festive *dolce* from the lands of Parma.
A round, thin-crusted tart filled with a thick heart of honey, walnuts, pine nuts, raisins, and spices. Dense, fragrant, it keeps for weeks — the cake stored in the cupboard for holidays.
In Busseto, you don't make *spongata* lightly: it's the cake for great days, prepared well before Christmas so it can develop its flavor. Honey, walnuts, pine nuts, raisins, and cinnamon — everything the house keeps in its pots — caught between two sheets of thin pastry. You let it rest for days in the cool of the cupboard, and the longer it waits, the better it is, like a good wine. Cut me a thin slice: it's sweet, it's spicy, it's my childhood.
- •Wheat flour — for the dough (crust)
- •Honey — abundantly (sweet binder for the filling)
- •Walnuts and pine nuts — a good portion (heart)
- •Raisins — a handful (filling)
- •Cinnamon, nutmeg — to taste (spices)
- •White wine and a little lard — for the dough (texture)
Spongata di Busseto
A round, thin-crusted tart filled with a thick heart of honey, walnuts, pine nuts, raisins, and spices. Dense, fragrant, it keeps for weeks — the cake stored in the cupboard for holidays.
Why this dish? Busseto, the town of Verdi's youth, has its *spongata*: a flat cake of honey, nuts and spices, dense and long-lasting, given at Christmas and Epiphany. Verdi, a native son, grew up with this festive *dolce* from the lands of Parma.
In Busseto, you don't make *spongata* lightly: it's the cake for great days, prepared well before Christmas so it can develop its flavor. Honey, walnuts, pine nuts, raisins, and cinnamon — everything the house keeps in its pots — caught between two sheets of thin pastry. You let it rest for days in the cool of the cupboard, and the longer it waits, the better it is, like a good wine. Cut me a thin slice: it's sweet, it's spicy, it's my childhood.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour — for the dough (crust)
- Honey — abundantly (sweet binder for the filling)
- Walnuts and pine nuts — a good portion (heart)
- Raisins — a handful (filling)
- Cinnamon, nutmeg — to taste (spices)
- White wine and a little lard — for the dough (texture)
Ingredients
- Flour — 300 g (crust)
- Butter (or lard) — 100 g (dough)
- Dry white wine — 1 glass (dough binder)
- Honey — 250 g (filling)
- Chopped walnuts — 150 g (heart)
- Pine nuts — 60 g (filling)
- Raisins — 80 g (filling)
- Breadcrumbs — 50 g (absorbs honey)
- Cinnamon + nutmeg — 1 tsp (spices)
Method
- Knead flour, butter, and white wine into a smooth dough; let rest 30 minutes.
- Warm the honey, mix in walnuts, pine nuts, raisins, breadcrumbs, and spices; let cool.
- Roll out two thin discs of dough; spread the honey mixture on the first, cover with the second, seal the edges.
- Prick the top, bake at 170°C for about 30 minutes until golden.
- Let cool, then rest at least 2-3 days in a box before serving in thin slices.
How it was made : *Spongata* is an ancient cake from the lands of Parma and Reggio (Busseto, Brescello), akin to medieval honey-and-spice pastries. Designed to keep, it improved with resting and accompanied the year-end festivities.
The contemporary twist : Dust with a veil of icing sugar and present it whole to be cut at the table — 'the cake of Busseto' that keeps from solstice to Epiphany.
Sources : Pastry traditions of Busseto and the lands of Parma (spongata)
Giuseppe Verdi · Charactorium