FATHERS'DAY - 19 March
written by Sergio Caggìa with Paul Gwynne for © Nerone the Insider's Guide to Rome

 

March is the beginning of spring; it is also the month in which we celebrateWomens' Day (8 March on which they recieve a branch of Mimosa), and Fathers' day. Although it is also the month of Lent, there are two cakes exclusive to Lent which alleviate the penance for the greedy. The first cake, the Maritozzo con la panna, is a delicious way to interrupt the abstinence required for Lent (La Quaresima).    Another pleasant break-fast then. In this period you'll find these cakes in many bars and Pasticcerie and so it's worth trying one or two, or maybe more, as this old rhyme says:    The first is for those with no time to spare,  The second for those who live as a pair,  The third is for lovers, without a care,  And lastly for those, desperate to share.   There is a romantic tradition connected with the Maritozzi: sometimes the men would conceal a gift in the fresh cream, a piece of jewellery, such as a ring or an ear-ring, for their girlfriend as a promise of marriage...it seems dangerous idea to me, though, and I often wonder whether anyone ever choked.The second cake is called Bigne di San Giuseppe. 19 March, St Joseph's Day, is Fathers' Day in Italy. Their traditional cake is absolutely moorish (or should that be mawish??) and can be found in any bar or pasticceria.   Traditionally the Bigne were fried and sold throughout the city and such was their popularity that there was even a plan to make them available at other times of the year. However fearing congestion in the streets, due both to the vendors bawling out their wares over vats of boiling oil and to the crowds of happy customers, the authorities tried to confine the sale of this scrumptious cake to Fathers' Day and Holy Week. In fact, tradition itself confined their manufacture. The Church of San Giuseppe in the quartiere Trionfale (Via Bernardino Telesio 4/B, near the metro stop Ottaviano) will be the centre of the festival! The cakes can be found throughout the quartiere, so go and taste the fastival and its atmosphere.