Bread is one of the basic foods in everyone's diet. Today there is the habit of going to the supermarket every day to buy packaged ones, immediately ready for consumption, but once upon a time this dish was prepared at home, according to an ancient traditional recipe that was handed down from mother to daughter.
The same experience that the Pro Loco of Maniace, a town in the province of Catania, is trying to preserve by exploiting a very modern method: the web.
What is home bread
Homemade bread, which in Sicily is also known by the expression 'u pani i casa', is nothing other than bread prepared in the traditional way, in everyone's homes. Once upon a time, in fact, the preparation of dough was a tradition that was carried on in all families, in particular by women who were the custodians of the traditional recipe and used an instrument called maidda inside which the ingredients were mixed and then the leavening of the same was expected.
Over time, then, this tradition has gradually been lost, partly due to lack of time, given that women today are busy with work outside the home, partly because it is certainly more convenient and faster. being able to have bread always ready, to buy for a few cents in any supermarket.
Yet until a few decades ago preparing bread starting from its dough was also considered a very important moment of sharing which very few families avoided. Even today the scent of freshly baked bread evokes a feeling of home and well-being in everyone's mind, just like in the times of grandmothers.
Homemade bread in the Maniace tradition
Precisely to keep this tradition alive, there is a wonderful initiative by the Pro Loco of Maniace, a town in the province of Catania which wanted to draw the attention of many to the traditions of the past and in particular that of preparing home-made bread.
Precisely with this aim, a video was created and edited, then published on the main social channels of the organization and then shared by local newspapers, which shows two grandmothers from Maniace busy preparing bread at home, according to the most ancient tradition of this place.
The territory of Maniace, in fact, has had a strong agricultural vocation since ancient times, in particular linked to the production of cereals and wheatIt is therefore obvious that bread is part of this thousand-year history. In the video, the two grandmothers carry out each phase of bread making, from the kneading to the leavening, and tell the secrets to being able to re-propose this good and genuine food at home, the basis of the Mediterranean diet.
How to prepare home bread
Although it is so good, the preparation of homemade bread is actually very simple and does not require particular culinary skills but above all patience and dedication. Homemade bread in the Maniac tradition is made in special containers called maidda but in reality it is possible to use any bowl in which the durum wheat flour is mixed with salt, warm water, brewer's yeast and a little of extra virgin olive oil.
The secret of this bread, however, lies in its leavening because, once made "the dough is “beaten” on the table to activate leavening, it must be left to rest for at least 48 hours to be able to reach the right consistency and move on to the final stage of cooking. A peculiarity of homemade bread in the Maniac tradition is linked to the fact that the product remains excellent even after a few days of its preparation, if one is careful to keep it in the dark and in a dry place.
How to get to Maniace
All those who do not want to limit themselves to watching a video but prefer to go directly to the place to discover the tradition and see the bread being kneaded by local grandmothers, can reach this location by car, train or bus.
With your own car, the reference motorway is the A 18 which connects Catania to Messina: after the Fiumefreddo exit you need to take the SS 120 in the direction of Randazzo and then definitively exit at Maniace.
Those coming from Palermo, on the other hand, must take the A19 and then continue on the SS121 in the direction of Paternò, with the Maniace exit.
The locality can also be reached with a bus service (Interbus) from both Catania and Palermo. Maniace does not have its own train station but the closest ones are those of Randazzo or Bronte and from these it is possible to continue by local buses.
