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Sapa
Sapa
is a treacly natural sweetening that, together with honey, was once used
as a substitute for precious and rare sugar, but also to flavour food and
drinks.
It
was prepared at home, with ripe grapes selected during the picking.
After
the one day fermenting, the must would be filtered in a big copper pot
placed on a tripod above fire to insure long and slow boiling, up to a
considerable reduction. Four litres of the must would give only one litre
of sapa.
During
10 hours of boiling, scum had to be taken off the must with a large ladle.
In order to lessen bitterness and the sour of sapa, white home-made bread
would be immersed in it.
Since
there was no sugar, ground lemon rind was used to add aroma. Peasants'
wisdom instructed that, in order to prevent the precious treacle to stick
onto the bottom of pot, nuts in shell should be added.
Finally,
dense, dark and treacly sapa would be poured in a pail to get cold and to
settle. The following day it would be bottled and stored in pantry or
someplace high in the cellar, for long preservation.
Sapa
was used in many ways and for many things.
It
was used to season Christmas and carnival biscuits, to prepare cakes
filled with home-made jams, to make perfect "crostata" and
cooked fruits, to flavour polenta and to knead ring cake.
In
summer, mixed with fresh water from the well, sapa would represent a
delicious and refreshing drink. At present time, it can be used to coat
ice-cream and the like.
It tastes very good with cheese and with "lonza di fico".
© 2001 Liberation Ventures Ltd.
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