Carnivale II - Chiacchiere
Of course the floats are colorful and wonderful. Of course the dancers are cute when they are little, and sexy as they get older. Of course the area around the procession is incredibly crowded with folks from all over (It was estimated that there were over 50,000 visitors in Sciacca on Saturday night for the festivities - and that was probably also true for Sunday night and Tuesday night). And of course, but perhaps surprisingly, most of the people ignore the floats and the dancers, and stand along the parade route talking to folks that they have not seen since last carnivale, or maybe just since week, or yesterday, or maybe even this afternoon.
Therefore, there is a special carnivale food, just for this tradition. It is a deep fried cookie called a Chiacchiere (that means to gab, or to gossip) and it gets its name not just from what happens at carnivale, but also from the fact that it is shaped like a wagging tongue.
Of course Ignatzia sent me a batch of chiacchiere, and also my friends at Paneficio Americano kept giving me some everytime I went in to get my daily bread. Herewith is a photo essay on how they are made. (By the way, they taste wonderful!!)
Of course school is closed for carnivale, so even the youngsters get to come in and help out the family as they make the wagging tongues. Not only to they get to help make them, but I am told they even get to help eat them!!
Even Calogero steps in to give his wife and his grand daughter a break, and to make sure that Salvatore and Fillipo are making them correctly.
When they are all cut, they leave it to the expert work of Maria to fry them in the hot oil. She knows just when to take them out so that they will be at her best.
Then they are placed in a LARGE basket to cool down a bit before they are sold to customers. Of course they had to warn me not to eat any of these, because they were too hot, and besides, they were 'not quite ready.'
Having cooled down a bit, and then sprinkled with powdered sugar, they are brought out to the customer area of the bakery, and sold to all the people who love carnivale, love catching up with old friends, and most of all, love chiacchiere!
Maria's twin sister Paola refused to have her picture taken with the Chiacchiere for this post, however she did not notice when I took her picture waiting on a customer.
Therefore, there is a special carnivale food, just for this tradition. It is a deep fried cookie called a Chiacchiere (that means to gab, or to gossip) and it gets its name not just from what happens at carnivale, but also from the fact that it is shaped like a wagging tongue.
Of course Ignatzia sent me a batch of chiacchiere, and also my friends at Paneficio Americano kept giving me some everytime I went in to get my daily bread. Herewith is a photo essay on how they are made. (By the way, they taste wonderful!!)
Of course school is closed for carnivale, so even the youngsters get to come in and help out the family as they make the wagging tongues. Not only to they get to help make them, but I am told they even get to help eat them!!
Even Calogero steps in to give his wife and his grand daughter a break, and to make sure that Salvatore and Fillipo are making them correctly.
When they are all cut, they leave it to the expert work of Maria to fry them in the hot oil. She knows just when to take them out so that they will be at her best.
Then they are placed in a LARGE basket to cool down a bit before they are sold to customers. Of course they had to warn me not to eat any of these, because they were too hot, and besides, they were 'not quite ready.'
Having cooled down a bit, and then sprinkled with powdered sugar, they are brought out to the customer area of the bakery, and sold to all the people who love carnivale, love catching up with old friends, and most of all, love chiacchiere!
Maria's twin sister Paola refused to have her picture taken with the Chiacchiere for this post, however she did not notice when I took her picture waiting on a customer.
posted by Steve at 1:35 PM
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