The spongata of Pontremoli is an ancient dessert of mixed origin, that is, it belongs to three regions: Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria. The recipe has its roots in very ancient times and represents a timeless and delicious dessert that, even today, populates the Italian tables (especially in the center and north) during the period of festivals and not only.
The spongata of Pontremoli is an ancient dessert of mixed origin, that is, it belongs to three regions: Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria. The recipe has its roots in very ancient times and represents a timeless and delicious dessert that, even today, populates the Italian tables (especially in the center and north) during the period of festivals and not only.
There are those who believe that the spongata of Pontremoli (or spungata) has Jewish origins because, it would have been transported by Jews from Spain who arrived in Italy. Research and studies, however, have found traces of this cake that date back to long before, even the age of the ancient Romans: the term, in fact, appears in the documents of the abbey of San Colombano di Bobbio, founded in the Lombard era by the Irish saint Colombano.
Another clue of its ancient origins can be found in the Diplomatic Code of the Monastery of Bobbio where the abbot San Colombano asked permission to give a guest a “spongata pasta”.
Finally, it was during the Renaissance that the spongata of Pontremoli had its place on the tables of the great nobles, so much so that it was donated to Duke Francesco Sforza of Milan in 1454 and, the following year, to Duke Borso d’Este of Ferrara.
Spongata di Pontremoli: where does its name come from?
Where does the name “spongata” come from? And why is this cake called that? Again, there are many possible answers.
A way to go is the one that leads us to the Latin: the name of the dessert, in fact, would derive from the Latin Sponga (in Italian, “sponge”), a name that can be linked to the spongy consistency that the dessert takes because of the cooking of sugar.
On the other hand, there are those who maintain that Latin has very little to do with it and that the spongata of Pontemoli actually takes its name from Spongado Spanish, a word of Jewish origin.
How to cook the spongata of Pontremoli
Even if we may never know with certainty in what historical period this cake has its roots or what is the origin of its name, something we can know there is and is its recipe!
Let’s start by saying that, preparing an excellent spongata is not so difficult: it will take, however, special attention to the resting times of pasta. To start you will need to prepare the filling made of dried fruit: here you can choose whether to follow the original recipe or add something relying on the various reinterpretations.
Then, you will combine the candied fruit with raisins and breadcrumbs; next, you will add honey, jam, brown sugar, rum, and all the necessary ingredients.
Meanwhile, it will be important to prepare the dough and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least half an hour: at this point, you will add the filling to the dough and it will cook in the oven! The recipe is really simple and you can read it in full here.
The spongata of Pontremoli is an exquisite dessert, to taste (and, why not, to cook!) at least once in your life, even outside the holiday season. A little extra tip: this is the ideal dessert to pair with Vino Passito!
Copertina: giallozafferano
