La Befana is one of Italy’s oldest and most celebrated legends. Each year on January 6 the children of Italy awaken in hopes that La Befana has made a visit to their house.
In popular folklore La Befana sheltered the three wise men during their travels but declined to visit the baby Jesus as she was too busy with her housework. Filled with regret she continues her search, traveling from house to house on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany to fill their socks with candy and presents if they are good or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad.
Being a good housekeeper, many say she will sweep the floor before she leaves. Popular tradition tells that if one sees La Befana one will receive a thump from her broomstick, as she does not wish to be seen.
In true Italian form, the child’s family typically leaves a small glass of wine and a plate with a few morsels of food, often regional or local, for the Befana.
One such treat is the Piemontese Fugassa d’la Befana or Focaccia della Befana, which is a dough sweetened with almonds, dried fruit, and orange peel. Tradition has it that a white bean and a black bean are hidden inside the sweet focaccia. Whoever finds the white bean will have to bear the costs of the focaccia, while the person who finds the black bean will treat everyone to a drink. In some areas the beans are replaced by a small king and the lucky person to find the figure in their slice is honoured with the title of being the king of the day (similar to the tradition of the French Galette de Rois)
The Focaccia della Befana is often cited as the predecessor to panettone and colomba. This recipe for a sweet bread is in fact something that was within everyone’s reach to prepare as a holiday treat calling for simple ingredients of flour, eggs, butter, and milk at home (items that could typically be found in the homes of farmers). The dough was then decorated with dried fruits and nuts for added sweetness.
The Fugassa d’la Befana is a PAT (Prodotto Agroalimentare Tradizionale) designated product (an official approval for traditional Italian regional food products) of the Piedmont Region.
With coal being a component of this final Christmas holiday, I put my own playful spin on this focaccia recipe and turned the coal into the treat (recipe follows). Buona Befana e Buon Appetito!
Ingredients:
- 1-8oz Carbon Vegetable Dough Ball*
- 1 tbsp room temperature butter
- 1 heaping tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp dried cranberries soaked in Amaretto liqueur
- 1 heaping tbsp slivered almonds
*Carbon vegetable dough can be found at specialty grocers however standard pizza or focaccia dough will also yield a delicious final result
Directions:
Generously grease a pie plate with butter or shortening and place the dough inside. Cover the dough with a dishcloth and allow to proof/rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
Once the dough has proofed, gently dimple the dough as you would a focaccia. Remove the cranberries from the liquid and press into the dough. Next, sprinkle over the slivered almonds.
In a small bowl combine the butter and brown sugar to create a topping (like a crumble) then scatter over the dough. Allow the dough to proof once more for half an hour then bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20 minutes.
Once the focaccia has cooled, slice and enjoy.
