food experience
the cannoli
If a dessert can identify a community and a tradition, undoubtedly when we talk about cannoli we are talking about the cannoli of Piana degli Albanesi. It has always been the typical dessert and is always present in local pastry shops and laboratories. Each has its own very personal variant on the common recipe. Just change a few ingredients and change the cannoli and especially its wafer which is its main feature. Inside the wafer there is a delicious ricotta cream.
Recently some pastry chefs have joined together to form the traditional Cannolo food community of Piana degli Albanesi and Santa Cristina Gela. In this way Slow Food supports these producers who wish to restore cannoli, often too inflated also from a qualitative point of view, to its ancient glory and ancient flavor. This traditional Cannolo is also healthier because the granulated sugar has been eliminated and a modest quantity of honey has been introduced in its place, the flour has been replaced with that of ancient Sicilian grains and the chocolate is dark and of great quality. The specification of this traditional cannolo has also been recognized by the Ministry for agricultural and forestry policies by inserting it in the list of Territorial Food Products (PAT).
Good cannoli
the bread
The bread from Piana degli Albanesi was traditionally made at home or in wood-fired ovens in two-kilo forms because it was made to keep for several days. Only local grains were used. Even today the bread produced in Piana is very popular and appreciated. Today the most common form is the one kilo or half kilo. Some ovens continue to work in the traditional way that is with a wood oven where the flame is fed with olive wood. There are also non-wood ovens that guarantee a quality but more massive production.
the cheeses
Turning to Piana it is still possible to see flocks and herds grazing. Obviously these are small breeders who carry out with sacrifice an activity that was once very widespread in the territory. Cheeses are produced with the traditional method such as primosale and caciocavallo in the various maturations. Ricotta is also obtained from the processing of sheep's milk and is used for cannoli. Several shops in the historic center offer tastings to discover these products.