Saba, or sapa, is a typical

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is served separat ...

used in

Emilia Emilia may refer to: People * Emilia (given name), list of people with this name Places * Emilia (region), a historical region of Italy. Reggio, Emilia * Emilia-Romagna, an administrative region in Italy, including the historical regions of Emi ...

Romagna Romagna ( rgn, Rumâgna) is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, North Italy. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to ...

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

Abruzzo , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1 ...

, Apulia and

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label= Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, af ...

. It is a concentrated syrup of

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry (botany), berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non-Climacteric (botany), climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of ...

s which is obtained from the fresh

must Must (from the Latin ''vinum mustum'', "young wine") is freshly crushed fruit juice (usually grape juice) that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit. The solid portion of the must is called pomace and typically makes up 7–23% of ...

of white or red grapes; variants include "

mosto cotto Avarengo is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Piedmont wine region of northwest Italy where it is a permitted blending component in the ''Denominazione di origine controllata'' (DOC) wines of Pinerolese. Here the grape is usual ...

", "

vino cotto Vino cotto (literally 'cooked wine’, also vi'cotto or vi'cuotte), is a type of wine from the Marche and Abruzzo in Central Italy, made primarily in the hills of the Province of Ascoli Piceno and the Province of Macerata. It is a strong ruby-co ...

" or " miele d'uva". The must is poured in a copper pot together with some whole

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a tru ...

s which, by turning during the slow boiling, help the must not to stick to the bottom of the pot. The saba is ready when it is reduced to one third of its initial quantity. It is very

sweet Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, keto ...

and keeps well due to the sugar content.

Etymology

The terms "saba" and "sapa" are derived from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

word sàpor.

Kitchen use

It was used, together with

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

and other fruit juices reduced by cooking when cane or

beet sugar A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and which is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together wi ...

was unknown or very expensive. It was used both for homemade sweets and to give more flavor to poor dishes such as

polenta Polenta (, ) is a dish of boiled cornmeal that was historically made from other grains. The dish comes from Italy. It may be served as a hot porridge, or it may be allowed to cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried, or grilled. ...

or to dip

piadina ''Piadina'' or ''piada'' is a thin Italian flatbread, typically prepared in the Romagna historical region (Forlì, Cesena, Ravenna and Rimini). It is usually made with white flour, lard or olive oil, salt and water. The dough was traditional ...

gnocco fritto The () or () is a bread in Italian cuisine from the Emilia region of Italy, prepared using flour, water and lard as primary ingredients. Cracklings are sometimes used in its preparation as well. In Emilia-Romagna, it is typically sliced into d ...

. It is also used as a dressing for

salad A salad is a dish consisting of mixed, mostly natural ingredients with at least one raw ingredient. They are typically served at room temperature or chilled, though some can be served warm. Condiments and salad dressings, which exist in a v ...

s and as a sauce for

cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

and

ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as ...

s. In summertime, it is added to water and drank. It used to soak sabadoni,

ravioli Ravioli (; singular: ''raviolo'', ) are a type of pasta comprising a filling enveloped in thin pasta dough. Usually served in broth or with a sauce, they originated as a traditional food in Italian cuisine. Ravioli are commonly square, tho ...

made with

apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ances ...

s and

quince pears The quince (; ''Cydonia oblonga'') is the sole member of the genus ''Cydonia'' in the Malinae subtribe (which also contains apples and pears, among other fruits) of the Rosaceae family. It is a deciduous tree that bears hard, aromatic bright ...

. It is also used to keep soft the typical Christmas bread of

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...

. ;

Staffolo Staffolo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Ancona in the Italian region Marche, located about southwest of Ancona. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,304 and an area of .All demographics and other statistics: Italian ...

Apiro Apiro is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about southwest of Ancona and about northwest of Macerata. Religion Churches * The church of Sant'Urbano Sant'Urbano ( vec, Sant’Urban ...

and

Cingoli Cingoli is a town and ''comune'' of the Marches, Italy, in the province of Macerata, about by road from the town of Macerata. It is the birthplace of Pope Pius VIII. History The town occupies the site of the ancient ''Cingulum'', a town of Pice ...

, in the province of

Macerata Macerata () is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy, the county seat of the province of Macerata in the Marche region. It has a population of about 41,564. History The historical city centre is on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza r ...

, sapa is used to create one of the most characteristic sweets of the winter period:

cavallucci Cavallucci is a rich Italian Christmas pastry prepared with anise, walnuts, candied fruits, coriander, and flour. They are Sienese in origin, and the name translates approximately to "little horses". The chewy biscuits traditionally use Tuscan ...

, croissants filled with sapa and dried fruit which can be kept for a long time. In

Rosora Rosora is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Ancona in the Italian region Marche, located about southwest of Ancona. Rosora borders the following municipalities: Arcevia, Castelplanio, Cupramontana, Maiolati Spontini, Mergo, M ...

, in the province of

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...

, in the second half of October, there is a festival dedicated to sapa. ;

Sapa, here also called

, is used for the creation of typical products. For example, in

Terni Terni ( , ; lat, Interamna (Nahars)) is a city in the southern portion of the region of Umbria in central Italy. It is near the border with Lazio. The city is the capital of the province of Terni, located in the plain of the Nera river. It is ...

it is an important ingredient of

panpepato Panpepato ( Italian: "peppered bread") or pampepato is a round, sweet cake typical of the Province of Ferrara, Siena, the south Umbria and north of Lazio also called Pangiallo. Panpepato is a type of panforte. It is made according to traditi ...

(a Christmas sweet), while in

Assisi Assisi (, also , ; from la, Asisium) is a town and ''comune'' of Italy in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Monte Subasio. It is generally regarded as the birthplace of the Latin poet Propertius, born around ...

it is used as condiment for many dishes, such as roasts. ;

Saba, obtained from must, or from the fruits of prickly pear ( Saba de figu morisca), or more rarely from strawberry tree, is frequently used in the preparation of typical sweets. In

Barbagia Barbagia (; sc, Barbàgia or ) is a geographical, cultural and natural region of inner Sardinia, contained for the most part in the province of Nuoro and Ogliastra and located alongside the Gennargentu massif. The name comes from Cicero, who d ...

Logudoro The Logudoro (meaning "Golden Place") is a large traditional region Sardinia, Italy. The name of Logudoro today is linked to the Logudorese dialect, which covers a large area of northern-central Sardinia. The first denomination of the area is ...

and

Anglona Anglona is a historical region of northern Sardinia, Italy. Its main center is Castelsardo. Geography Anglona is bounded by the sea northwards, from east by the Coghinas river, from south by Monte Sassu and from west by the Silis River and ...

saba (or sapa) is obtained from must, in Oristano instead saba of prickly pear is mostly used. ; Apulia Saba, called "

vincotto ''Vincotto'' () is a dark, sweet, thick paste produced in rural areas of Italy. It is made by the slow cooking and reduction over many hours of non-fermented grape must until it has been reduced to about one-fifth of its original volume and the s ...

", can also be obtained from

fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

s which, gathered withered directly from the tree and mixed to ripe ones, are blanched until the liquid is amber. The whole is put in large cloths with a medium texture and pressed in order to obtain the liquid which is further thickened over a slow fire. Saba is also widely used in traditional Apulian confectionery, both for dipping cartellate and calzoncelli, and as an ingredient for mixing sasanelli and mostacciuoli.

Turkish pekmez

Similar but obtained in a different way due to the type of fruit used is

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities ...

pekmez Pekmez ( tr, pekmez, az, bəkməz/doşab) is a molasses-like syrup obtained after condensing juices of fruit must, especially grape by boiling it with a coagulant agent like wood ashes or ground carob seeds. It is used as a syrup or mixed with tah ...

, in use since the times of

Ottoman empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. This juice (of grape, fig or other) boiled is used as a sweet syrup, combined to

tahina Tahini () or tahina (, ) is a Middle Eastern condiment made from toasted ground hulled sesame. It is served by itself (as a Dip (food), dip) or as a major ingredient in hummus, baba ghanoush, and halva. Tahini is used in the cuisines of the Lev ...

for breakfast or as an ingredient for many recipes in

pastry Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water and shortening (solid fats, including butter or lard) that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as '' bakers' confectionery''. The word "pastries" suggests ...

making.

References

Bibliography

* {{Cite book, last=

Pellegrino Artusi Pellegrino Artusi (; Forlimpopoli, near Forlì, August 4, 1820 – Florence, March 30, 1911) was an Italian businessman and writer, best known as the author of the 1891 cookbook ''La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiar bene'' ("Science in t ...

, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sB-ODwAAQBAJ&dq=La+sapa%2C+ch%27altro+non+%C3%A8+se+non+un+siroppo+d%27uva&pg=PT471, title=La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiar bene, publisher=Einaudi, others=Piero Camporesi (introduzione e note), year=1974, location=Torino, isbn = 9788828101666, oclc=898641064, ref=Pellegrino Artusi, ''La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiar bene'' Grape dishes Sugar substitutes Cuisine of Marche Cuisine of Emilia-Romagna Cuisine of Sardinia Condiments

Etymology

Kitchen use

Turkish pekmez

See also

References

Bibliography