Cassata

Origin

Cassata is believed to have originated in Palermo in the 10th century, when under Emirate of Sicily. The word ar——was first mentioned in Corleone in 1178.

The Arabic word ar, from which cassata may derive, refers to the bowl that is used to shape the cake.

Variations

In Italy

Unlike the round, traditional shape some cassata are made in the form of a rectangle, square, or box. The word box in Italian is cassa, although it is unlikely that the word cassata originated from this term.

Cassata catanese, as it is often prepared in the Sicilian province of Catania, is made similar to a pie, containing a top and bottom crust, filled with ricotta cheese, and baked in the oven.

Cassatella di sant'Agata is a similar dessert, but made in a smaller, personal-serving size, with a candied cherry on top, and often a specifically green-colored marzipan. It is typically made in Catania for the festival of Saint Agatha. The allusion to the female breast relates the specific torture Saint Agatha faced as a Catholic martyr.

When a cassata is made, layers of gelato can be substituted for the layers of cheese, producing a dessert similar to an ice cream cake. The version of the recipe followed in Messina is less sweet than the one used in Palermo.

In the US

While there are bakeries in the US making traditional Sicilian cassata, in Cleveland, Ohio, and the surrounding region, the term "cassata cake" uniquely refers to a layered yellow sponge cake soaked in rum or rum syrup, filled with fresh strawberries and custard, and usually decorated with whipped cream and sliced strawberries. This Cleveland cake with the name cassata first appeared in the early 1920s at LaPuma Spumoni & Bakery.

In Utica, NY the term cassata typically refers to cassata al forno, a baked ricotta cake.

In India

In India, the term cassata refers to a dessert with multiple layers of ice cream (similar to Neapolitan ice cream), on top of a layer of sponge cake, topped with nuts.

References

References

1. (2016-03-26). "Dai musulmani agli spagnoli: ecco le mutazioni della cassata siciliana".
2. "Gastronomia".
3. (25 Jun 2013). "Sweet Delights from a Thousand and One Nights: The Story of Traditional Arab Sweets". I.B.Tauris.
4. (11 Aug 2014). "The Oxford Companion to Food". Oxford University Press.
5. (2009). "The Muslims of Medieval Italy". Edinburgh University Press.
6. (21 Jan 2014). "Muslims and Christians in Norman Sicily: Arabic-Speakers and the End of Islam". Routledge.
7. (2008). "Sicily. Ediz. Inglese". Lonely Planet.
8. (2009). "Sicilian Food: Recipes from Italy's Abundant Isle". Wakefield Press.
9. "The erotic origins of Italy's most famous sweet". [[BBC]].
10. "Meet Jennifer Thornton of Buttercream & Olive Oil, maker of Cleveland’s best cassata cake".
11. "The Sweet History of Cassata, a Cake With a Complicated Past".
12. "Baraona’s Baking Company named ‘People’s Choice’ in our search for the best cassata cake in Greater Cleveland".
13. "‘Hakuna Matata’ for Cleveland Cassata: Classic CLE Eats & Drinks".
14. "Cassata: A dessert that’s travelled all over India, Italy and the Arab world".