If today we can enjoy such a delicacy of Neapolitan pastry as the sfogliatella, credit goes to a nun, who about 400 years ago gave birth to this dessert now a symbol of Naples and of the Campania.

How the sfogliatella was born

The convent in question was that of Saint Rose, located between Wrath and Conca dei Marini at Amalfi Coast. In moments of free time it happens that the cloistered nuns also devote themselves to the kitchen; well one day in 1600 Sister Clotilde, who is thought to have been the Mother Superior, while preparing the classic daily menu, he noticed that there was leftover semolina bathed in the milk.

At this point he began to experiment with the ingredients he had on hand, creating a filling with cottage cheese, dried fruits and lemon liqueur. However, the dough was missing: he flavored two pastry sheets with white wine and lard and then filled the sheets with the filling, trying to imitate the typical shape of a cap of a monk: hence the famous Santa Rosa was born, in honor of the convent where it was created.

The cake immediately won the palate of all the nuns, and it was soon realized that it could not remain the convent's secret recipe for long: the nuns decided to offer it to the townspeople in exchange for a small offering, and from then on it marked the history of the neapolitan pastry.

The journey from the Coast to Naples, however, was not so quick: only 200 years later, in 1818, an innkeeper named Pasquale Pintauro, after tasting this delicacy decided to modify the recipe original by eliminating custard and sour cherries of seal, and then turn its tavern at Toledo Street into an actual pastry shop. Other theories claim that it was the sisters themselves who made some changes to the process, ingredients and even the shape, now close to that of a shell and known as "a' sfugliatella“.

Today the ancient laboratory of Pintauro is open, passing down from generation to generation until the new management the art of artisanal and traditional pastry making. Each bar and pastry shops in Campania have a moral obligation to display sfogliatelle in their windows, curly o shortbread That it is, because yes: there is not just one kind!

Cake lovers may find themselves at a loss, but in Naples the debate over which sfogliatella is better between riccia and frolla is the order of the day. Frolla, unlike riccia and Santa Rosa, as can be guessed from the name, is prepared with the same filling but with a soft, crumbly wrapping of shortcrust pastry In place of the sheets.

Where to taste sfogliatella in Naples

In addition to Pintauro, where it all originated, there are many other cafes and pastry shops where you can enjoy a good sfogliatella, accompanied by an unfailing espresso Neapolitan style.

In the Square San Domenico Maggiore patisserie reigns Scaturchio: a name, a guarantee. Passing through the famous Spaccanapoli you can take a sweet break before continuing your walk in the downtown. Also very famous is Mary puff pastry, whose small kiosk laden with delicacies occupies a place at the entrance to the charming Umberto I Gallery Via Toledo.

One of the most famous bars in Naples is the Gambrinus Grand Literary Café, which complements the iconic Plebiscite Square. It has always been a meeting place for distinguished people, intellectuals and politicians, the historic venue enjoys its own artisan pastry workshop...an explosion of flavors for your palate!

A plus point for theAncient Carraturo Patisserie to Porta Capua is definitely the open oven, thanks to which anyone can be enchanted at the mastery of the pastry chefs at work. If, on the other hand, you have already tasted the classic sfogliatella and would like to try something new, Sfogliatelab Is the right place for you!

Located right near the Central Station to Garibaldi Square, this pastry shop in 2015 came up with the dessert that meets the taste of most people while respecting tradition, the union of sfogliatella and the baba: the Puff pastry.

Of course, there is no end to the places to taste it, Naples is dotted with taste corners everywhere.

The recipe

Ingredients for 6 puff pastries:

 

  • 250 g 00 flour
  • 70 g lard
  • 100 g water
  • Half a tablespoon of honey
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 200 g milk
  • 100 g semolina
  • 200 g ricotta cheese
  • 125 g sugar
  • q.b. candied orange
  • 1 egg yolk

Proceedings

  1. For the puff pastry dough, pour flour, salt, honey, water into a bowl and mix until a dough (not smooth) is obtained. Form a ball by kneading the dough again and then grease it with lard, after which wrap it in a cloth and let it rest for about half an hour.

  2. Take the dough and knead it again (don't worry if it is very hard at first).

  3. Continue working to form another ball to sprinkle with lard again.

  4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

  5. After taking it out of the refrigerator, let the dough rest outside for another 20 to 30 minutes, then with rolling pin roll it out and form a rectangle.

  6. Stretch the rectangle a lot and start rolling it on the rolling pin, greasing it with lard at each turn. Then place the rolled dough back in the refrigerator for a few hours or, if possible, overnight.

For the filling:

  1. To prepare the filling, heat the milk in a pot and, stirring, add the semolina while continuing to cook, then let it cool.

  2. In a bowl, process the ricotta and candied orange, sugar and egg yolk and mix until the ingredients are well blended together.

  3. Add the cold semolina to the ricotta cream, mix again and cover the filling with plastic wrap and then refrigerate.

  4. Take the roll back and, unrolling it, cut it into slices about 1 cm thick. Using your hands, form a space in the center in which to insert the filling (plenty), then close the flaps on the sides.

  5. Place the sfogliatelle on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a static oven at 180° for about 20 minutes, turning them golden brown.

  6. After taking them out of the oven, coat them with powdered sugar and enjoy.