The month of March in Italy initiates the season of many Spring festivals, commencing with the grand “tavolata” of San Giuseppe on March 19th, otherwise known as St. Joseph’s table.
As the patron saint of the family, Italians also celebrate Father’s Day on this date. Joseph embodies many fatherly symbols including love, compassion, generosity and acceptance. As tradition has it, this feast brings together the whole family & more often than not, friends & neighbors to honor & commemorate the Saint while showing their gratitude to the father figure in the family. Typically the children in the family will present their fathers with small tokens of their love and appreciation, as customarily seen in other countries on this holiday.
Traditionally, Italian families will attend mass in the morning & then gather at a family member’s home to celebrate all’italiana by preparing a luscious feast, though strictly meatless as the celebration does fall during Lent. Many towns where San Giuseppe is also the local patron Saint, there will be week-long festivals leading up to the 19th , including parades and musical events.
Italy wide the gastronomic tradition focuses on specialty sweets & desserts as well as breads & cookies that vary from region to region. Joseph is honored by the Italians with a unique pastry because as the legend goes, he once made & sold puff pastry style sweets in between carpentry jobs. Another legend recounts that the actual crumbs symbolize sawdust & therefore recall his artisanal carpentry profession.
Either way, Italians will always find a way to celebrate their love & manifest their gratefulness by means of the cucina italiana and then sharing those delicious dishes with loved ones- the Festa di San Giuseppe is no exception to that tradition!
These particular pastries take different names & forms depending on the region. In Sicily the famous Zeppole are prepared: deep fried scrumptious dough balls, while the Romans and Florentines prepare cream filled puff pastry bignè that will have you salivating at the street front shop window displays.
In Northern Italy tradition calls for the classic frittelle “fritter dough balls” and crostoli, a thin puff pastry sprinkled with powdered sugar. Most Italian mammas have their own special family recipe & of course every bakery & pastry shop fills their windows this time of year with take-away trays for the household feast.
In Southern Italy, especially in Sicily, the family ritual involves preparing an abundant buffet style large table, often with an altar dedicated to Saint Joseph, with all the lovingly crafted delicacies perfectly decorated & plated to gaze upon. Towering breads & pastries will also be accompanied by savory vegetable & seafood dishes including stuffed artichokes, frittatas, fried shrimp and calamari.