The maritozzo pastry, elected the eighth king of Rome, is now well known even outside of Italian borders. Its fame is so much that it has earned a National Day celebrated on September 16th. The maritozzo pastry, originating in Rome offered in both pastry shops and at cafés, has already conquered Italian palates, and now it is gaining popularity abroad. This popularity has even made its way to Japan; in the Land of the Rising Sun, a maritozzo-craze is spreading. Not only can it be found in the display cases of pastry shops and as an item on restaurant menus, but it is also present on store shelves, including the konbini, the always-open mini-markets. It is a soft and simple pastry, especially perfect for breakfast or for a snack. It was originally filled with honey, raisins and pine nuts, but today, to make it less sweet, it is traditionally filled with whipped cream. Between past and present In the past, it was a poor man’s dessert, made with a dough of eggs, flour, oil and salt, to which honey, raisins and pine nuts were added. In the ancient Roman times, it was often eaten by farmers and shepherds to gain energy. During Medieval times, this sandwich, prepared during Lent, would transform into a darker coloured dessert. This is how it obtained its name “Quaresimale” (from Quaresima, the Italian word for Lent) which will later transform into the Roman expression “er santo maritozzo”, coined by the Roman poet Gioacchino Belli in 1833 in the “La Quaresima” sonnet. Its sweetness made it a good luck gift for brides-to-be; on the first Friday of March, enamoured women that were soon to marry would receive 51
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