# Pastiera

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{{Short description|Neapolitan tart}}
{{Refimprove|date=January 2014}}
{{Italics title}}
{{Infobox food
| name             = ''Pastiera''
| image            = Pastiera Napoletana.JPG
| image_size       = 
| caption          = 
| alternate_name   = 
| country          = [Italy](/source/Italy)
| region           = [Naples](/source/Naples)
| creator          = 
| course           = 
| type             = [Tart](/source/Tart)
| served           = 
| main_ingredient  = Flour, sugar, [lard](/source/lard), eggs, [ricotta](/source/ricotta), boiled [wheat](/source/wheat) (in milk), water of orange flowers<ref name=fra258>Francesconi (1995), p. 258</ref>
| variations       = 
}}

'''''Pastiera''''' ({{IPA|it|paˈstjɛːra|lang}}; {{IPA|nap|paˈstjeːrə|lang}}) or '''''pastiera napoletana''''' is a type of [Neapolitan](/source/Neapolitan_cuisine) [tart](/source/tart) made with cooked [wheat](/source/wheat), eggs and [ricotta cheese](/source/Ricotta), and flavored with [orange flower water](/source/orange_flower_water). It is usually eaten at [Easter](/source/Easter_in_Italy).<ref name=fra258/>

==Legends==
Various writers repeat legends about the origin of ''pastiera''. One story connects it to the siren [Parthenope](/source/Parthenope_(siren)), whom the Neapolitans thanked for her sweet singing by giving her [ricotta](/source/ricotta), flour, eggs, milk, spices and sugar; Parthenope gave these ingredients to the gods, who made ''pastiera'' out of it.<ref>Marlena Spieler, ''Neapolitan Culture, Cuisine, and Cooking'', 2018, {{isbn|9781442251250}}, p. 19–20</ref><ref name="rogosa"/><ref>Pasquale Guaglianone, ''Il naufragio previsto. Principessa Mafalda: l'ultimo tragico viaggio'', 2012, {{isbn|888901346X}}, p. 59</ref> Another story connects it to a spring celebration of the goddess [Ceres](/source/Ceres_(mythology)).<ref name="rogosa">Eli Rogosa, ''Restoring Heritage Grains'', {{isbn|1603586717}}, p. 206–207</ref>

==Origins and tradition==
{{Refimprove section|date=July 2024}}
thumb|A slice of ''pastiera''
thumb|200px|''Pastiere'' prepared for Easter
The modern ''pastiera'' was probably invented in a Neapolitan convent. The tale goes that unknown nun wanted that cake, symbol of the [resurrection](/source/resurrection), to have the perfume of the flowers of the orange trees which grew in the convent's gardens. She mixed a handful of wheat to the white [ricotta cheese](/source/Ricotta), then she added some eggs, symbol of the new life, some water which had the fragrance of the flowers of the spring time, candied [citron](/source/citron) and aromatic spices.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

Lore has it that the nuns of the ancient convent of [San Gregorio Armeno](/source/San_Gregorio_Armeno) used to prepare a great quantity of the pie for the rich families during Easter time.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

There are two different ways of preparing ''pastiera'': in the older, the ricotta is mixed with the eggs or with the grain;<ref name=fra258/> in the newer, thick [pastry cream](/source/Custard) is added, making the ''pastiera'' softer.<ref name=fra260>Francesconi (1995), p. 260</ref> This innovation was introduced by Starace, a Neapolitan confectioner with a shop in a corner in Piazza Municipio ('Town Hall Square').

The ''pastiera'' has to be cooked some days in advance, no later than [Maundy Thursday](/source/Maundy_Thursday) or [Good Friday](/source/Good_Friday), in order to allow the fragrances to mix properly and result in that unique flavor. The ''pastiera'' is not only cooked but also sold and served in appropriate pans called ''ruoti'' because it is very fragile, so it would easily crumble up if removed from the ''ruoto''.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

==The savory variant==
The savory Neapolitan ''pastiera'' is a variant of the sweet one. The recipe differs from that of the sweet ''pastiera'' for the dough based on pre-cooked wheat and the filling obtained from the union of sausages and cheeses (the most typical are Neapolitan [salami](/source/salami) and [caciocavallo](/source/caciocavallo)). In some variants the use of brisé dough and puff pastry is preferred.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pastiera salata: la ricetta della pastiera napoletana rustica|url=https://www.cookist.it/pastiera-salata-la-ricetta-della-pastiera-di-grano-napoletana/|website=Cookist|date=22 March 2023 |language=it}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Italy|Food}}
* [Neapolitan cuisine](/source/Neapolitan_cuisine)
* [List of Italian desserts and pastries](/source/List_of_Italian_desserts_and_pastries)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last1=Francesconi|first1=Carola Jeanne|title=La vera cucina di Napoli|date=1995|pages=258–60|publisher=Newton|location=Roma|isbn=8881830213|language=Italian}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://gianni.tv/pizza-rustica-pastiera-napoletana/ Traditional Italian Easter pie recipes, with video]

Category:Italian desserts
Category:Italian cakes
Category:Easter food
Category:Easter traditions in Italy
Category:Neapolitan cuisine
Category:Cuisine of Campania
Category:Cheese desserts

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pastiera](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastiera) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastiera?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.