Cupeta facts for kids
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| Region or state | Calabria |
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Cupeta or copeta (originating from arabic "qubbayt", lierally meaning preserved sweet) is a dessert made from honey, dissolved sugar and diced almonds.
Cupeta is usually consumed during the christmas period in the italian regions of Calabria, Campania, Apulia, and Sicily, as well as in Ponente Ligure where on the other hand it is prepared all-year-long.
Contents
Preparation method
Cupeta is made from a liquified mixture of almonds, honey and surgar; which is then either left to solidify or consumed in a semi-liquid form. The specific recipe, which may include additional ingredients, varies from region to region and may present differences depending families traditions
The preparation method is similar to the one used for giurgiulena, which however differs in the addition of sesame seeds.
Cupeta was awarded the recognition of being a prodotto agroalimentari tradizionali calabresi, campani and pugliesi (traditional product of calabria, campania and apulia).
Variants
In Campania copeta is produced in the provinces of Avellino, Benevento and Salerno and is considered a white, compact, torrone flavoured with hazelnuts, almonds and pistachios.
In the province of Rieti (Latium) and in the region of Abruzzo copeta is prepared with honey and diced walnuts, and is usually soft and in the shape of a square rather than being crunchy and rectangular; it is usually served on laurus nobilis leaves used as a container and preserver.
History
Cupeta is a dessert of arabic origins. The first record of its initial spread in Italy dates back to 1287.
The dessert was part of the wedding feast of Bona Sforza and Sigismund I the Old in 1517.
Etymology
Several sources (including official Italian ministerial ones), state that the name comes from the latin word cupedia, however, this is an incorrect etymological attribution made by Matteo Camera in1838. The similar latin terms cupedia and copadia respectively mean "sweat treats" and "meat pieces".
The name 'cupeta' on the other hand comes from the arabic word qubbayt, literally meaning "sweet preserve", and was documented for the first time in a document from Palermo of 1287, where a cubaydario cited (a producer of cubaita, a dessert made of apples, almonds, toasted cheakpeas and sesami seeds).
The name is then mentioned by Giambattista Basile (Naples 600s) twice, in the Lo cunto de li cunti overo lo trattamento de peccerille and in the Le cinco figlie, as well as by Giulio Cesare Cortese in the Micco Passaro nnammorato.
See also
In Spanish: Cupeta para niños
