La Michetta
In Milan and Lombardy there is a very ancient saying – “Bring home the michetta” –
This sometimes pleasant and sometimes annoying phrase comes from a type of bread characteristic of the city of Milan for more than two centuries.
What is the michetta?
It is one of the symbols of Milan. It is a blown bread characterized by a star mold with a central hat. It has a diameter of about 10 centimeters and five cuts that seem to form rays of the sun.
It was the bread of the workers from 1700 when bread was still only hand-made.
The origin is Viennese. The Austrians brought their rose-shaped sandwich called Keiseremmel to Milan in 1713, but with the humid climate of Milan it became chewy before evening. The bakers of Milan then emptied it of the crumb and made it blowable.
Blowing is nothing more than carbon dioxide and ethanol produced by the yeast through heat. It is cooked at a temperature ranging from 220° to 250°, and cooked for 25 minutes.
The Milanese called the Keiseremmel “michetta”. Micca was an even older bread that was widespread in Northern Italy and the name micca meant “crumb”.
This sandwich, common not only in Milan, is also called now as: beetle, turtle, rosette and starlet.
Video – Al Cavallino
Un abbraccio
Marcus Dardi
