Florence’s signature dessert, the Zuccotto fiorentino, will be served to members of the foreign delegations arriving in the city for the “State of the Union 2014” meeting. Here’s the story of what was once… Catherine’s Helmet.
The Florentine Zuccotto, the Helmet of Catherine de’ Medici
ORToday it is the most popular dessert among Florentines, even if tourists’ tastes are often tied to cones and cups. And yet it Florentine Zuccotto – precisely because it is a table dessert, rather than a walking dessert – it has a ancient history and has spanned the centuries, experiencing the evolution of popular taste. To rediscover its original recipe and to propose it again for an important diplomatic occasion, was the team of ice cream makers coordinated by Vetulio Bondi, president of the Florentine Artisan Ice Cream Makers and owner of the ice cream shop “Il triangolo delle Bermuda” (Via Nazionale, Florence). It was he, along with his master ice cream makers, who carried out thorough and meticulous research into the original recipe for the Florentine Zuccotto.
The rediscovery of the original recipe for Zuccotto Fiorentino
“We discovered that the Florentine Zuccotto was already known at the time of Queen Catherine II de’ Medici – explains – and in the beginning it was called “Catherine’s Helmet“ (which is now a registered trademark of the association, ed.) In honor of the sovereign, the first examples are said to have been made inside a small, spiked combat helmet called a zuccotto, used by infantry at the time. It is also believed that the creator was Bernardo Buontalenti, the architect who invented the semifreddo ice cream as we know it today.
Of course, it was a very different cake from what is found on the market today, starting from the colour: it was monochrome white, because originally the recipe called for ricotta with citrus peel, coming from the area of the Medici residences (Artimino, Poggio a Caiano, etc.), and of the cocoa nibs, the nib obtained from crushed, roasted, and then peeled cocoa beans. The exterior, however, was bright red because it was flavored with alchermes. It was only in the 1930s that the Zuccotto was rediscovered, but with variations designed to meet twentieth-century tastes.“.
“Our goal – continues Vetulio – was to propose that again today Florentine Zuccotto, without contemporary elements such as mousse or chantilly cream. After some experimentation, which also included an attempt at rose flavouring, we chose to keep the white colour, also using the Tuscan chocolate 70% by Amedei and a light sponge cake made with oil and flour. A way to showcase a Florentine pastry excellence using locally sourced ingredients and the highest quality ingredients.“
Promoting ancient flavours
Catherine’s Helmet will be re-proposed this evening, May 9th, during the final dinner of the “The State of the Union 2014“, the meeting between the European delegations gathered in Villa La PetraiaAfter having addressed the issues of foreign and economic policy, ministers, economists, undersecretaries and authorities from all the countries of the Old Continent will thus rediscover a gastronomic tradition Made in Florence.
And who knows, maybe, spoonful after spoonful, the Florentine Zuccotto will contribute to nourishing peace resolutions in the European scenario, despite its origins clearly linked to the world of war.
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Dining and Cooking