Castagnaccio is a typical, Ligurian cake that is prepared especially during the fall season. It is so simple to prepare and so delicious that it became a traditional meal also in Piedmont, Tuscany, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria, Lazio and even Corsica! What is more, it is said that it has magical power and it helps in love affairs! So if you are looking for your true love you probably should read this post ๐
History
Actually, it is not sure who and where invented castagnaccio. The one thing is sure, it became popular in the regions where chestnut trees were common. The first mentions of castagnaccio come from the XV century, from Lucca, a town in Tuscany. However, almost immediately castagnaccio became popular in Liguria and in other Regions of Northen Italy. During the ages, it was the food of the poor people that picked up the chestnuts in the forests and made flour from them. In that period the chestnuts were cheap and common. However, after World War II they started to be considered the food of wealthy people and became much more expensive. Nowadays, castagnaccio is a part of traditional, Ligurian cuisine.
Legend
It is said that rosemary leaves that are added to the castagnaccio dough have magical power. If a castagnaccio is prepared by a nubile girl and she gives it to a boy that she likes, the boy will surely fall in love with her ๐ I’ve never tried if it works … but maybe you can try ๐
Ingredients
The original recipe included only water, chestnuts flour and some honey. At the beginning of the XVIII century, especially in Liguria, the recipe of castagnaccio has been enriched with pine nuts, raisins, olive oil, sugar and rosemary and now the cake is prepared with this ingredients.
Recipe of castagnaccio
300 g of chestnuts flour
4 spoons of sugar
1 glass of water (or 1 glass of milk)
2 spoons of olive oil
150 g raisins that were softened in warm water
150g of pine nuts
rosemary leaves
* I’ve pasted quantities from an original recipe. However, when I prepare castagnaccio by my own I always use the approximate quantities of the ingredients … and it is always fantastic!
The recipe is extremely simple ๐ You only have to mix together all ingredients ๐ Then you put the dough to the oiled baking tin and put everything into an oven that you’ve heated before to about 180ยฐC. Bake your castagnaccio for about 30 minutes. After that time your castagnaccio will be ready! That’s all you have to do!
BUON APPETITO ! ๐
