u cumbitu
{{Short description|Traditional Calabrian meal for Saint Joseph's Day}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
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{{lang|it|U cumbitu 'i San Giuseppi}} ({{Literal translation|Saint Joseph's banquet}}), also known as {{lang|it|u mmitu 'e San Giuseppe}},{{Cite web |last=Ierardi |first=Filomena |date=19 March 2024 |title=U mmitu e San Giuseppe tra i quartieri petilini |trans-title=U mmitu and Saint Joseph's among the Petilini neighbourhoods |url=https://www.petilino.it/attualita/u-mmitu-e-san-giuseppe-tra-i-quartieri-petilini/ |access-date=10 April 2024 |website=Il Petilino |language=it-IT}}{{Cite web |last= |date=11 March 2024 |title=U 'mmitu 'e San Giuseppe, il gusto della tradizione calabrese |trans-title=U 'mmitu 'e San Giuseppe: The taste of Calabrian tradition |url=https://www.calabriamagnifica.it/ristorazione/u-mmitu-e-san-giuseppe-il-gusto-della-tradizione-calabrese/ |access-date=10 April 2024 |website=Calabria Magnifica |language=it-IT}} or {{lang|it|u banquettu}} around Catanzaro,{{Cite web |last=di Stilo |first=Umberto |date=16 March 2008 |title='U Cumbitu 'i San Giuseppi |url=https://www.galatroterme.it/arch_gen/cu08.htm |access-date=9 April 2024 |website=Galatro Terme News}} is a custom in the Calabria region, southern Italy, in which {{lang|it|lagane e ceci}},{{Cite web |last=Gnisci |first=Annamaria |date=19 March 2023 |title=U Cumbitu: un antico e nobile gesto solidale |trans-title=U Cumbitu: An ancient and noble gesture of solidarity |url=https://www.calabriamagnifica.it/costume-e-societa/u-cumbitu-un-antico-e-nobile-gesto-solidale/ |access-date=9 April 2024 |website=Calabria Magnifica |language=it-IT}}{{Cite web |title=Pasta lagane e ceci: ricetta calabrese {{!}} Bottega di Calabria |url=https://www.bottegadicalabria.it/blog/ricetta-pasta-lagane-e-ceci |access-date=10 April 2024 |website=Bottega di Calabria |language=it}} a pasta dish containing chickpeas,{{Cite web |date=19 March 2019 |title="U cumbitu", tradizione calabrese per San Giuseppe Storia di un gesto solidale esportato anche al Nord |trans-title="U cumbitu", the Calabrian tradition for Saint Joseph's: Story of a gesture of solidarity also exported to the North |url=https://www.quotidianodelsud.it/calabria/catanzaro/societa-e-cultura/la-storia/2019/03/19/u-cumbitu-tradizione-calabrese-per-san-giuseppe-storia-di-un-gesto-solidale-esportato-anche-al-nord |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=Il Quotidiano del Sud |language=it-IT}}{{Cite web |last=Campana |first=Gino |date=18 March 2023 |title=I signori medievali, San Giuseppe e la magia de "U'mmitu" |trans-title=The medieval lords, Saint Joseph, and the magic of "U'mmitu" |url=https://ecodellojonio.it/articoli/storie/2023/03/i-signori-medievali-san-giuseppe-e-la-magia-de-u-mmitu |access-date=10 April 2024 |website=EcoDelloJonio.it |language=it}} is shared among families and neighbours on Saint Joseph's Day (19 March).
History
File:Zeppole di San Giuseppe.jpg are a dessert associated with Saint Joseph's Day across southern Italy.]]
{{lang|it|U cumbitu}} may have emerged in the 20th century, or have origins in Calabria's medieval feudal society. On Saint Joseph's Day, rich families invited poorer people from their neighbourhood for a feast at their house. Some of the guests would dress as the Holy Family, sometimes extended to include Joachim and Anne, Mary's parents. The hostess would kiss guests' hands in an act of reverence.{{Cite web |date=10 June 2023 |title=The Saint Joseph Invitation (U Mmito): a time-honored tradition of Orsomarso |url=https://orsomarso.info/the-saint-joseph-invitation-u-mmito-a-time-honored-tradition-of-orsomarso/?lang=en |access-date=9 April 2024 |website=orsomarso.info |language=en-US}} {{lang|it|Lagane e ceci}} was served as the first dish, followed by pan-fried cod and zeppole, the dessert typically associated with Saint Joseph in Calabria.{{Cite web |last=Bisciglia |first=Valeria |date=19 March 2021 |title=Food and wine in Calabria for the San Giuseppe's Day |url=https://www.leviedellaperla.it/en/san-giuseppe-day/ |access-date=9 April 2024 |website=Le Vie della Perla |language=en-US}} The meal would take place in silence. After the meal, guests would be given leftovers to take home to their relatives.
Alternatively, beggars would walk the streets with a pan in their hands, clinking their spoons against the pan to warn almsgivers that they were arriving. Reaching the house of someone reasonably well-off, they would hide their faces and receive a {{lang|it|vuccata 'i San Giuseppi}} ({{Translation|Saint Joseph's morsel}}), consisting of the pasta, cod, and sometimes dried figs. Around Crotone, it was also common to donate loaves of bread to passers-by.{{Cite web |last= |date=6 March 2020 |title=Festa di San Giuseppe in Calabria: Il Ritratto di Un'antica Tradizione |trans-title=Feast of San Giuseppe in Calabria: The ancient tradition |url=https://www.turismo-calabria.it/festa-di-san-giuseppe-in-calabria/ |access-date=10 April 2024 |website=Turismo Calabria |language=it-IT}}
{{lang|it|U cumbitu}} notably suspended class structures in Calabria, which was particularly afflicted by poverty and hunger, and was a symbol of social solidarity and fraternity.
Contemporary celebrations
Today,{{When|date=April 2024}} parishes and neighbourhoods in Calabria organise {{lang|it|u cumbitu}} get-togethers, in which families exchange food that is blessed by the parish priest. Elsewhere, families bring the dish to their neighbours, friends, and relatives. The custom is popular among Calabrian emigrant communities, such as in Cinisello Balsamo, Lombardy,{{Cite web |date=16 March 2024 |title="U cumbitu" (pasta e ceci) di San Giuseppe |trans-title=Saint Joseph's "U cumbitu" (pasta and chickpeas) |url=https://latuabanca.bccmilano.it/appuntamento/?evento=173-%27%27U-CUMBITU%27%27-(PASTA-E-CECI)-DI-SAN-GIUSEPPE |access-date=9 April 2024 |website=BCC Milano |language=it-it}} where a Calabrian cultural association has organised an annual {{lang|it|u cumbitu}} since the 2010s. While the pasta was traditionally cooked in terracotta {{lang|it|pignatta}} pots by a fireplace, or prepared in pots in village alleys and squares, from which anyone could help themselves to a portion, the pasta is now typically cooked on gas stoves.
Preparation
|A plate of {{lang|it|lagane e ceci}} typical of Cosenza]]
Before {{lang|it|u cumbitu}}, figs, zucchini, and peppers are sun-dried. Closer to Saint Joseph's Day, bread is prepared in a wood-fired oven, and chicory and fennel are harvested, while {{lang|it|scarola}} and cabbages are picked. Cod and dried chickpeas are soaked together overnight before the feast.
The pasta traditionally used for the meal is {{lang|it|lagane e ceci}}. On the day of the meal, the pasta is rolled out, dried, then rolled up on itself and cut into strips. The pasta is cooked for two to three minutes, then mixed with the chickpeas. The meal is served with bread and wine. Other dishes associated with {{lang|it|u cumbitu}} include bean, lentil, chickpea, or Indian pea soup.
References
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