07/12/2016
The run up to Christmas starts the onset of the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception, the 8th of December. From this day on, up to December 26th, the holiday atmosphere gets bigger and bigger: in many Italian streets decorations and huge Christmas trees are displayed, presepi (Nativity scenes) are placed outside for all to see, and the “Christmas smell”, is perceived on every corner.
The devotion to the Immaculate is very old, it already existed in pagan rites later Christianized. But beyond the religious importance, the day of the Immaculate Eve, precisely on December 7, is a triumph of gastronomic traditions,first among everything the delicious Puccia and the tasteful Pettule.
PUCCIA
On the day of the Immaculate Eve, in the province of Lecce and, to a lesser extent , in the provinces of Brindisi and Taranto,our lunch is based on a very tasty food – the puccia bread.Our Puccia is a kind of sandwich (I know, I know my dear friends from Salento, the term sandwich is too reductive…. Puccia is just puccia!) but with a diameter of 20 / 30 cm. That’s incredibile, right? Expecially if we consider that a normal sandwich could be 10 or 12 diameter large. This type of bread ,made with pizza dough, can be filled however we like , using many different ingredients, e.g, tuna , tomatoes, local pecorino cheese, peppers, anchovies, eggplant
THE NAME
The origins of the name Puccia date back to the Roman time: buccellatum, or Roman hardtack, was a simple biscuit made of flour, salt, and water. It was rock hard, baked twice at low temperatures for a very long time to ensure no moisture was left inside. This made it ideal for long campaigns, and it was served not only to Roman soldiers, but crusaders, sailors, and soldiers in the American Civil War
THE TRADITION
According to tradition, this rite was born at the time of the Bourbons. It is told that the Queen of Naples, during her painful childbirth, invoked the Holy Virgin to support her going through suffering. She promised that she and her people would fast if she had received HER DIVINE MERCY. The queen got the answer to her prayers exactly on December 7th and the King, probably Ferdinando I of Bourbon, ordered to begin fasting everywhere in the Kingdom.