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Myrtle liqueur: between history and production

Category:Blog,Food Tags : Gastronomia Local Products Tradition

Myrtle liqueur is a digestive obtained from the maceration of ripe myrtle berries. It is popular in various areas of Italy, being the myrtle plant (Myrtus communis) typical of the Mediterranean maquis.

In Massa Lubrense, the plant is present along the slopes most exposed to the sun, where it grows from sea level up to an altitude of 500 meters above sea level. It is possible to find it, for example, on the sides of the path that leads to the Bay of Ieranto or along the Sentiero delle Sirenuse.

This digestive liquor is a tradition rooted in Massa Lubrense and is produced both in local homes and in specialized distilleries present in the area. It is loved not only for its unique flavor, but also for its historical connection to the culture and tradition of this region.

Homemade production often involves recipes passed down from generation to generation, while commercial distilleries prepare it on a larger scale, helping to spread its distinctive taste throughout the territory.

The myrtle plant

Scientifically called Myrtus communis, the myrtle plant belongs to the Myrtaceae family and has intense green leaves that give off pleasant smells. It is an evergreen shrub typical of the Mediterranean scrub, which prefers a mild climate. But it can also resist the frosts, if protected and sheltered from the bad weather.

Solitary and elegant, the flowers are simple and white in colour. According to phenology, the plant flourishes between the months of May and June and bears fruit around October and November for the harvest of its berries.

The origins

Its origins are very ancient and shrouded in mystery. Traces of myrtle plant already appear in ancient Egyptian and Arab written documents. It is said that the ancient Egyptians decorated their cities with myrtle branches during the holidays, attributing to the plant a divine power capable of warding off evil spirits, catastrophes and diseases.

Furthermore, it was also the sacred plant of Aphrodite. In the myth, the plant protected Aphrodite’s virtues from the malicious gaze of satyrs. Therefore, it is considered a plant that represents love, fertility and eros and was used, in fact, as an aphrodisiac remedy or to adorn wedding banquets.

The Harvest

Harvest period begins in November, when the berries are maturing, and extends until January. According to the artisan myrtle producers, however, the best period for harvesting is the month of December, when the berries are neither too raw nor too cooked. The secret to understanding whether the berries can be harvested is revealed to us by the presence of the bloom. A substance produced by the fruits themselves on their surface which makes the myrtle berry an opaque blue color and which gives the fruit an intense and strong flavou

The myrtle picking takes place almost exclusively by hand. Although this type of harvesting affects speed, it is preferable due to its minimal impact on the plant and the ability to preserve all the characteristics of the berries intact.

Once picked, fresh berries must be immediately processed for the production of the liqueur.

The recipe

Myrtle liqueur’s preparation is long but simple at the same time.

Ingredients (for 2 litres):

• 1 l of water
• 500 g myrtle berries
• 500 g granulated sugar
• 1 l of pure alcohol (90°)

Preparation:

Take the myrtle berries, wash them under running water and place them in a strainer to eliminate impurities. Leave a few small leaves if you want.

Once washed, leave to dry for 2 or 3 days on some clean cloths. At this point, place the myrtle berries together with the alcohol in a glass container with hermetic closure, essential for maintaining aromas and perfumes intact. Store the container in a dark, cool place for approximately 40-50 days.

After the resting time, drain the berries.Using a clean cloth, squeeze the berries gently to extract the juice.

In the meantime, boil the water on the stove and when it has almost reached boiling temperature, begin to slowly dissolve the sugar. Once the syrup composed of water and sugar has cooled completely, add the alcohol flavored with myrtle berries and mix the resulting liqueur with a wooden spoon. Using a strainer, filter the liqueur and then, using a funnel, transfer it into the glass bottles.

Before tasting the myrtle liqueur, it must rest in a cool place for at least a month. Then all that remains is to sip the excellent digestive with its typically Mediterranean aroma at room temperature.

The recipe of the babà

Category:Blog,Food Tags : Gastronomia Local Products Tradition

The babà is a very soft yeast cake, wet with rum and mushroom-shaped. It is a typical product of traditional Neapolitan pastry.

Originally it was a natural leavening cake from Poland and other Slavic countries, then it was perfected by French cooks before arriving in Naples. It is said that the recipe for rum babà in the typical modern mushroom form dates back to 1835 and is attributed to the famous pastry chef Nicolas Stohrer, who would have invented it on the occasion of the wedding of Maria Leszczyńska with the king of France Louis XV.

Another story tells that the king, known for his ugly character, had thrown the cake against a cupboard crushing a bottle of rum, which ended up soaking the cake and that his father-in-law tasted it and thought it was excellent.

The babà has fully entered the tradition of Neapolitan pastry both in the form of donut served with whipped cream, both smaller with custard and black cherry, or oblong mushroom-shaped of various sizes. It can be filled with cream and fruit salad, chantilly cream and strawberries, mascarpone and limoncello cream, hazelnut cream, citrus cream, with pistachio and fresh raspberries. Even were also made savory versions very tasty with meats and cheeses such as provolone, scamorza, Gruviera or pecorino.

In short, there are endless reinterpretations of this timeless sweet symbol of Italian culinary culture, but especially Neapolitan. Below we propose the indications to replicate at home the traditional version.

Recipe of the babà

Ingredients for the babàs

• 125 g flour
• 50 g butter
• 2 whole eggs (large)
• 1 yolk
• 15 g milk
• 15 g sugar
• 15 g brewer’s yeast
• a pinch of salt

For the syrup:

• 500 g water
• 250 g sugar
• 250 g rum
• 1 lemon

1. To start preparing babas with rum, briefly mix flour and yeast in the stand mixer with the hook, or by hand. Add milk, eggs and yolk, previously mixed and work for a few minutes until smooth. To avoid lumps, add the egg and milk mixture while the mixer is running or, if you are working by hand, keep mixing. Add sugar and mix. Finally add salt and butter, softened at room temperature. The dough should be soft, almost liquid.
2. Then put the dough in a sac à poche. Pour it, then, into the molds, and fill up to about 1 cm from the edge. Leave to rise for about 30 minutes at 30 ºC in the oven. Turn off the light.
3. Bake at 180 ºC in a ventilated oven preheated for about 13 minutes. The babas will be ready when they can be easily removed from the mould. You can cut the bottom of a babà and check the alveolature of the dough. Unmold and let cool very well.

The syrup

1. To prepare the cake syrup: in a saucepan heat water, sugar and lemon peel. Boil it and then filter. Add rum. Put the syrup in a bowl and, when it is still warm, completely immerse the babas for a few moments. Drain on a cake rack.
2. Put them in the fridge for 1 hour before serving to enjoy them. Rum babas, before being wet, can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week or in the freezer, until the evening before use, tightly closed in a food bag.