Amazing Italy:
Enjoying Rovigo and Its Cuisine with
Maria Cristina Buoso (Part 2)
by Maria Teresa De Donato
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Hello
friends,
In our previous article, Maria Cristina briefly mentioned the history of Rovigo, presenting us with her first and opening recipe of this new column entitled Amazing Italy, the Sugoli.
Today we will continue with Rovigo, of which we will discover other exciting tourist attractions to visit for those unfamiliar with this city.
Enjoy
the reading!
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MTDD: Hi Maria
Cristina, and welcome again.
What
have you prepared for us today?
MCB: Today, I want to talk briefly about what the various conquests have left to the city.
MTDD: Very well. What do we want to start with?
MCB: Let's start with the Este family, who could be among the promoters of the town fortification, which took place before 1190, and the keep of the castle, now known as the Donà tower. Sixty-six meters high, it is one of the tallest Italian medieval towers; it was almost certainly the tallest masonry tower of its time, built in the Este family's period.
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An
important passage for the city was the presence of the Franciscans, who had a
fundamental role in the town's religious, cultural, and civil life. According
to the narrative, it was St. Francis himself who left some of his friars in
Rovigo, and a gem is the Church of Christ
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which is located near the church of Santi Francesco e Giustina (known to the inhabitants of Rovigo simply as the church of San Francesco).
It was built between the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century to meet the religious needs of the adjacent Franciscan monastery. It subsequently changed its name by adding Santa Giustina to it after the demolition of the church of Santa Giustina to make way for the current Piazza Garibaldi. Traces of the latter remain in the rectory dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi.
MTDD: There were various waves of plague over the centuries, even in Italy.
Was
Rovigo also affected? And if so, how did they deal with it?
MCB: Yes, indeed it was. There were famines and epidemics during the Estense domination, including the plague in 1413 and 1428. During these periods, there were two hospitals used for the poor. One was that of the noblewoman Piacenza Casalini. She arranged for her house, which was located near the church of Santa Giustina, and turned it into a hospital dedicated to Sant'Antonio Abate. This decision was taken because the other existing hospital, inside the walls and dedicated to Santa Maria della Misericordia, was insufficient to deal with the plague.
In 1430, to express their gratitude for the end of the disease, the inhabitants of Rovigo expanded the church of San Francesco, adding a nave to the right of the building.
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MTDD:
Thanks Maria Cristina, for this further information about your city. I’m sure
the more we dig, the more we find. Am I wrong?
MCB: No, you are not wrong at all. To get to know this period better and not to bore you with everything that happened in the Este period, I thought to indicate below some links. By visiting them, you can get an idea of that historical period that is interesting to read.
https://rovigo.italiani.it/la-dominare-estense-a-rovigo-prima-parte/
https://rovigo.italiani.it/dominare-estense-le-incursioni-padovane-seconda-parte/
https://rovigo.italiani.it/la-dominare-estense-terza-e-conclusiva-parte/
MTDD: As I mentioned
last time, every interview you and I will prepare will end with one of your
local or Venetian recipes.
Which
one have you prepared for today?
MCB: The white polenta. I hope you will like it.
The white polenta
The polenta for you is
the yellow one, but in Veneto and Rovigo, the one used was above all the white
one.
Until the second
post-war period, white polenta was mainly cooked in the Polesine, the Treviso
area, and the Venetian region. The plain and the hill could be divided
geographically from the mountain, where the yellow one was widespread and more
rustic, while the one used in the plain was made with a type of white corn
called Bianco Perla and considered of a higher quality.
As I remember, I ate
the white one for many years, only for a few decades I have also used the
yellow one.
Here polenta is a
substitute for bread, and once, especially at the time of the war, it was the
primary source to avoid starvation, lots of polenta and little bread. The
accompaniment was the one that accompanied the polenta, which at the time was
little or nothing, a herring, an egg, or whatever the fields would produce,
most often polenta and ... nothing else.
You can eat it with
fish, meat and anything you want; it can be soft or hard, and the next day you
can eat it in milk or sliced, grilled or grilled and accompany it with other
dishes, it is practically good with everything.
Today polenta has some
preparations that you can quickly make. You had to stir it for a long time
before it was ready, then you poured it over the wooden cutting board, and if
it was hard, you cut it with a wire of various kinds.
If you buy the
preparations for making polenta, follow the instructions and then enjoy it, if
instead, you make it as it once was, I'll briefly explain how to make it, white
or yellow doesn't change much, you will then decide which one you like best.
Ingredients :
• 500 gr. Bianco Perla
polenta flour would be ideal, but another type is fine as long as it is good
• 3000 ml of water
• one teaspoon of salt
(adjust it to your taste, I like it not too salty)
Boil 3 liters of water
with the addition of a teaspoon of salt. Start pouring the flour a little at a
time, mixing well with a whisk. When the polenta begins to thicken, keep
working it with a wooden spoon, lowering the heat and always turning in the
same direction to prevent lumps from forming (and above all, be careful that it
does not stick). After about 40 minutes, the polenta is ready. (Great army for
the arms )
Tips: Depending on the
recipes, white polenta can be more or less liquid: you can keep a saucepan of
boiling water close at hand; if the polenta is too thick, add one ladle at a
time. It will be the experience that will make you understand how to regulate
yourself and how you prefer it depending on what you want to accompany it with.
(the same precaution applies to the yellow one too)
Till next time ... Bon
appetit!
M.C. Buoso
https://mariacristinabuoso.blogspot.com/
https://www.instagram.com/mcbmipiacescrivere/
You can also find
me on Waveful as @Mcbautrice
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