Confetti : Sweet or caramel in the form of small balls, chewy, coated with sugar with the heart of almonds , chocolate or other flavors. The origin of its name comes from the Italian word “confetto” which in turn descends from the Latin verb “conficere” which means prepared, packed.
He is from the city of Sulmona , where he began to make almonds covered in a fine mixture of honey and flour . The initial production of confetti was conditioned by the high cost of the coating, which meant that the sweets were only produced for special occasions such as weddings , birthdays and other events.
Also called confetti (with a single t), the colored paper or paper, shiny or matte, which chopped into small pieces, is thrown into the air and is suspended for a time to increase the festive tone of Christmas, carnival or other celebrations.
Summary
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- 1 Story
- 2 Preparation Mode
- 3 Wedding Confetti
- 4 Sources
History
The sweet has an ancient history and its manufacture, understood as modern, dates back several centuries.
The origins of sweets are not reliable, but the most acceptable theory places the Arab doctor Al-Razi, as the inventor of the sweet since, for therapeutic purposes, he covered the most bitter pills with a thin layer of sugar to make them more acceptable. for the children.
Nuanced flowers
Taking into account the testimonies of the Italian families Fazi (447 BC) and Apicius (14-37 AD), friends of the Emperor Tiberius , who point out that the Romans had the custom of celebrating births and marriages with confetti, sweets were they were already producing since the Roman conquest in the Peligna valley.
The manufacture of sweets according to the current recipe was carried out after the discovery of the West Indies, when sugar became the protagonist of sweetening, and the honey that covered it, has since played a marginal role. In fact, some documents dated 1492-1493 and subsequent years attest to what is stated in the archive of the Municipality of Sulmona, a city known as the Italian and world capital of confetti.
And in Sulmona in the 15th century the artistic processing of sugary almonds was born in the Monastery of Santa Clara, when the Poor Clares of the Order with the use of silk threads tied the confetti to prepare flowers, bunches, ears and rosaries.
Bouquet of flowers
Since 1400 Sulmona was famous for these sweets, whose producers were able to cover the almonds with a layer of sugar so thin that they resembled a shell, the process of manufacturing them was, on the other hand, very complex, so the “confetti” was only they served then in the closing of the most sumptuous banquets.
Then, during the Renaissance, this sweet custom spread and young people from noble families donated “confetti” to their future brides or together they distributed them at engagement and wedding parties. Confetti was also offered to guests at receptions held to celebrate the vows of nuns and priests.
Flower exhibition made of confetti.
In 1894 an old Andria factory in Puglia produced confetti for the royal wedding of Prince Humberto of Savoy and Princess Maria José of Belgium and in 2011 the Mario Pelino Confetti factory, one of the oldest Italian confectioneries (founded in 1783 by Bernardino Pelino) located in Sulmona, he produced the confetti for the wedding of Prince William of England and Kate Middleton .
In Andria is the headquarters of the Museum of sweet, where the history and art of this ancient sweet is explained and in Abruzzo there is another museum dedicated to confetti, called “Museum of Art and Technology confettiera Pelino”.
The city of Sulmona, meanwhile, has the oldest confetti factory in Italy . Their confectionery production has become famous and traditional, to the point that the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry has included these Sulmona products in the list of “traditional Italian food products”, giving them the PAT brand for export for international territory (considered as a symbol of good quality).
Flowers in white and blue
It is the custom among Italian confectionery to use their own locally grown almonds, especially those grown in southern Italy, such as in Puglia and Sicily . Sulmona also uses those from the southeast of Sicily ( Siracusa and Ragusa ) for its production. There are several types of confetti, the most characteristic are formed by bouquets of colorful flowers in which each bouquet has various types of flavor. Sculptures are also made that recall fantastic or fashionable characters, representations of plants, anthropomorphs or other objects.
Preparation mode
The almonds, properly worked, are placed in rotating containers called “bassina”. They are distinguished by the shape (pear or drum) or by the type of rotation (on an oblique axis, horizontal with a perforated bottom, etc.).
Confetti lobels.
Sucrose solutions are sprayed inside, which, thanks to the heating obtained by insufflation of the hot air, evaporate, leaving a uniform layer of sugar on the almond. The process involves repeated wetting and drying phases, until the desired covering layer is obtained. After the coating phase, sugary almonds have a rough and uneven surface, which are smoothed, colored (if necessary) and polished. Making is a laborious process and can take two to three days to complete.
Confetti caterpillar.
When they are made of other flavors, the same procedure is followed from a previously elaborated core.
Wedding Confetti
Confetti for or of the wedding are among the symbols that characterize the celebration of marriage in Italy. After they have chopped the wedding cake: the couple walks side by side in the reception room, from table to table, and while the husband is holding a basket, or a silver or glass cup full of confetti, his wife hands them over to the guests, thanking them for their presence at the banquet. The confetti may also have already been packed in small boxes or bags called Bomboniere or Favor.
The “favors” have been extended to other celebrations and are currently gifts that hosts give their guests on special occasions such as weddings, baptisms, first communions, or confirmations. They typically include 5 sugary almond confetti that symbolizes health, wealth, happiness, fertility, and longevity.
The color of sugary almonds is white for a wedding, first communion, or confirmation; pink or light blue for a girl’s or boy’s birthday or baptism respectively; red for a graduation and silver or gold for 25 or 50 year wedding anniversaries.
They are often adorned with dried natural flowers or artificial flowers made from silk or paper .
Confetti for a Wedding in crystal glasses
Bomboniere for a Wedding
The protocol requires that the confetti be packaged in a tulle or lace bag and it is in the Bomboniere, along with a card with the name of the bride first and the groom later, without surnames and with the date of the wedding.
The wedding favor has a double meaning: on the one hand it is a memory or symbol of the wedding day and on the other it is a way of thanking the guests for their presence, their gifts and their affection.
