La Carscenta

Èa typical dessert from the area of Fivizzano and Comano, prepared on special occasions such as the feast of the patron saint, looking like a very tall focaccia and inside it contains raisins, pine nuts and anise seeds. We do not know its original recipe because, like many cakes and other typical dishes of Lunigiana, each village, each family had a variant , so it was difficult to find a written recipe with the right doses and the precise rising and baking times since everything was entrusted to the skill of the women of the house, who often handed down the secrets from generation to generation.

This cake in the Sassalbo (Fivizzano) area is linked to an ancient ritual, that of betrothal. The ancient ritual stipulated that after the feast on the day of St. Michael the Archangel, when the attraction between the two lovers was publicly manifested by dancing, the woman’s family sent the groom’s family the “carscenta”; if the boy’s family viewed the engagement favorably, they returned half of the carscenta to the girl’s family, otherwise they sent it back in full.

 

 

Want to make this dessert? Here are some tips:

Brewer’s yeast is processed with flour, a pinch of salt and water; the resulting “leoda” is left to rest, overnight, in a container. All the ingredients, at room temperature, are kneaded by hand (sugar, eggs, warmed milk, butter, cream, raisins, pine nuts, anise seeds) until a thick and consistent dough is obtained.

 

The medium- to large-sized pan is buttered, dusted with flour and filled a little more than half full; it is put to rise in a dry place away from light and drafts until it doubles in volume. The cake is baked in a 180°C oven on a layer of chestnut leaves, for about 60 to 80 minutes depending on size. In the Sassalbina version, walnuts were used instead of pine nuts, which are more readily available.