Cassate, cannoli e altri miti

Abstract

On the one hand, there are the traditional Sicilian sweets, with their composition, shape and taste; on the other hand, there are the times and the spaces in which they are consumed, but also those in which they are prepared. For each of these aspects, which are not of a linguistic nature, there are multiple discourses that take them as their object, articulating their meaning. The objective of this essay is to put all these heterogeneous sources into dialogue in an attempt to identify the structures they have in common. This research does not aim to establish the origin of the Sicilians' interest in sweets, but rather the way in which in this island, crossroads of many peoples, a system has developed that has made the ability to vary its preparations without losing its identity . It will not be surprising, therefore, if from time to time, in our discussion, there will be stories of single sweets, recipes, comments about their aesthetic aspect or about the materials they are made of, and any other kind of reference. What we will try to do is to reconstruct the universe of Sicilian pastry as a product of multiple discourses, in the conviction that its myth is born from this continuous and incessant intersemiotic translation. If cuisine and language have something in common, it is the structural rules they obey. In order to trace their coordinates, we will begin with cassata and cannolo, and then expand to what we will see as the system of desserts based on ricotta cream (and not only).