Erbazzone emiliano or Scacciata catanese ?

In the kitchen it works like in the most beautiful works of art: you don't know anything about a dish as long as you ignore the intention that gave birth to it." (Daniel Pennac)

Country you go, cook you find. Recipes and dishes that tell amazing stories. Especially when they share distant places, territories in many cases different, but which in reality seem to speak an identical gastronomic language. So similar and so different. As in the case of two specialties which have a popular traitbut which are an expression of places andtraditions which seem almost to the opposite. We are talking about the Emilian weed and the catania drive away!

The Emilian weed

The Emilian herbaceous is a typical dish of parma and reggio emilia cuisine. The origins of this recipe date back to the Middle Ages and, according to the testimonies, it was created by a "razdora" as well as the typical rural house of the Emilian territory.

Originally, its name was "scarpasòun" which in dialect refers to a poor and humble dish.

Not by chance, the dough is prepared with soft wheat flour, water, lard and salt and then stuffed with spinach or chard and Parmigiano – Reggiano.

https://www.benedettaparodi.it/2020/03/06/erbazzone/

Later, in fact, the dialect name was replaced by the current weedy one, that is grass cake that refers to the ingredients with which the filling is composed.

The Catania Chase

The drive away was born in Catania in the eighteenth century. It is a dish intended for the peasant tables of the Kingdom of Sicily and, subsequently, of the two Sicilies. Not by chance, it has always been considered a simple dish based on fresh vegetables or sausage.

In particular, the dish is served especially during the Christmas period. Which is by no means coincidental as, in 1763, Prince Moncada of Paternò decided to want him on his table during the Christmas festivities. Since then it has become a tradition of all Catanians.

The recipe of the catania scacciata, moreover, consists in filling the dough of pizza or bread with various ingredients depending on the tastes. Among the most appreciated

versions, in fact, there are two: a filling of broccoli and Tuma; a filling of sausage and potatoes. The preparation provides for the crust to be crispy and golden while the filling is soft and tasty.

https://blog.giallozafferano.it/mastercheffa/scacciate-catanesi/

It is clear, therefore, that the two recipes are very similar both symbolically and practically. These are two specialties born to fill the tables of the humble inhabitants of the countryside but that today fill the tables (and bellies) of the Italians. From north to south, with the same appetite