The Michetta is the typical sweet of Dolceacqua and it can be found every day in almost all grocery stores in the country, kneaded and baked according to different culinary philosophies.

Dolceacqua

Since 2008, the Michetta is protected by the Municipal Designation of Origin, with the aim of safeguarding the production and organoleptic characteristics of this ancient product, which is a legacy of economic and cultural value of Dolceacqua.

The history of Michetta

The story goes that in 1300, the country was ruled by the Marquis Imperial Doria, a cruel Marquis who reintroduced the use of “Droit de seigneur” (Jus Primae Noctis ) according to which the bride had to lie down, during her wedding night, with Duke or the Baron of the country
Lucrezia was a beautiful girl of nineteen, on which the Marquis had placed many of his attention. Engaged to a boy named Basso, they decided to get married in secret to escape the barbarous edict, but during the celebrations the Guards of the Marquis burst into the house of the couple and kidnapped Lucrezia brought her in the Castle.

il castello – the castle

Dragged against her will into the alcove of the Tyrant, the young woman refused with all her strength to pay the odious tax. She tried to escape and even to jump out the window from the top floor of the round tower.
Faced with such resistance to his will, the Marquis, in a rage, locked her in the dark and damp dungeons of the castle, thinking to bend in the following days the girl to His will.
Lucrezia, in spite of the harsh treatment did not change her decision and let herself die of hunger and thirst. Once the people of the country heared the tragic news, they meditated revenge,toghether with Basso.
The young husband, mad with grief, decided to enter the castle by a stratagem.
Hidden away in a bundle of hay, loaded on the back of a mule he managed to reach the stables of the Marquis during the night. With the help of a guard he reached the room of the Marquis, and armed with only a dagger pointed at the throat, he commanded the Marquis to promulgate an edict to abolish the edict of “Droit de seigneur.””Jus Primae Noctis”.
This event took place during the night and the next day was August 15, a day of unbridled euphoria combined with sadness for the death of the beautiful Lucrezia whose ghost is said to linger still between the walls of the ancient castle.
The women of the country wanting to remember such a great victory and the sacrifice of Lucretia, decided to create a sweet memory of the events.
Mixing the flour with eggs, sugar and oil they created various forms, so that one of them, the most cunning spotted in one of the dough shaped a clear allusion to the female sex, and so the women exclaimed: << Sachì le che che ghe va (this is what we want), we’ll call it “michetta” >>
Once prepared the dough and cooked the Michetta’s they rushed into the streets shouting: << Omi, au, a michetta a damu a chi vuremu nui (men, now we give the michetta to those that WE want) >>.
So August 16th was proclaimed the day of the Feast of Michetta and today, after 700 years, Lucrezia is still remembered as a heroine for her sacrifice, liberating forever the women of the country of the shameful violence, and even today the boys of the country keep this tradition alive : accompanied by the musicband and Rossese wine they dance through the narrow streets of the country offering devotion to the women.

source: http://www.dolceacqua.it/

RECIPE

ingredients:
1 kg of wheat flour
60 grams of beer yeast
350 grams of sugar
250 grams of butter
4 fresh eggs
100 grams of extra virgin olive oil
the grated rind of one lemon
lukewarm water to taste
a pinch of salt to taste

Method:
Dissolve the yeast in a little lukewarm water. Form a fountain with the flour on a work surface and add in order the 4 eggs, olive oil, three hundred grams of sugar, butter, lemon zest, salt and dissolved yeast. Kneaded long, pulling much the dough and let rise at least an hour. Modeled michette giving the pasta a elliptical shape, about four centimeters long and two wide. Arrange michette in a oiled baking pan a little ‘distant from each other, to prevent sticking with the second rising (another hour). When they have roughly doubled their volume, bake at 180 ° and cook until they take on a golden color, then moisten the top and sprinkle with sugar.