The Tortionata of Lodi

Alessandro Tacchinardi, descended from generations of confectioners and pastry himself, in 1885 went to record in Lodi the recipe for a cake invented in his workshop, which he called “Tortionata”. The January 18, 1914 in a local paper read: “Lod città del grana incöeu l’è rinomada nun solo per i latti, ma per la Tortionada. E l’è a Tacchinardi che dobbiamo tanto, a lu, al sciur Lisander dei ludesan il vanto (Lodi, the grana city, today is renowned not only for milk but for the Tortionata. And it is to Tacchinardi which we owe so much, to him, to Mr. Alessandro, the pride of Lodi)”.

Pleasing in the city and nearby districts
Since then this typical sweet, which continues to be produced exclusively, met the favor of the public, not only in his native town, but also in other surrounding districts. Whether it is a cake is easy to tell from the name, but the rest is a surprise. The ingredients are simple and genuine: wheat flour type “0”; the Lodi butter; the small and with intense flavor Castellana almonds crushed; the grated “Gentile”lemon rind, which aroma is not too pronounced; granulated and powdered sugar, for sprinkling at the time of service. The dough is divided into parts according to the size of the pie to be packed and each piece is then beaten by hand in a circular mold. When the dough loses its stickiness, with a shot of fork they outline the traditional grooves on the upper surface of the cake. After resting the dough for 15-20 minutes, it is passed to the baking at 180 ° C with a convection oven, on average, for 30 minutes.

The best of taste only after a few days
Once cooked, the Tortionata is removed from the mold, placed in a circular tray and wrapped in aluminum foil for a better preservation. Separately, there is provided a sugar-bag dispenser for sprinkling powdered sugar at the last minute, just before serving. The best time to sample the Tortionata is not freshly baked, but after four or five days, that is, when the taste of the ingredients is harmonious and persistent.

Serve at the table with mascarpone cream
Although Tortionata it tastes in the best way after a slight maturation, it will keep for more than three months, if you have the foresight to keep it away from light and air (not in the fridge). To eat it, it should not be cut with a knife, but broken with hands into smaller bites. The flavor of this cake, sweet and spicy at the same time, goes well with almost all types of drinks, in particular with liqueur wines. The fact that it is a patented sweet dont has to think that it is only available in the bakery of its inventor. It can be found, in fact, in many restaurants in the area, proposed as an ideal end of the meal also formal lunches and dinners. In some local they serve it topped with a filling of mascarpone cream: a perfect combination for the misty winter evenings, when it is bearable even an excess of calories.

Also known in the countries of Central Europe
Thanks to the attention has always been reserved for the image and the spread of this sweet specialty, the Lodi producers sell for years Tortionata to many clients in neighboring provinces and in other regions of Italy. For some time now, this cake is well appreciated abroad and is shipped regularly in Switzerland, Germany and other central European countries, which perfectly meets the local taste.

Source: lacucinaitaliana.it

ingredients:
• 300 g flour 0
• 150 g butter
• 150 g sugar
• 150 grams of peeled roasted almonds
• 1 egg yolk
• grated lemon rind
• powdered sugar

use the pan diam. 26 in that it must be of a height not exceeding 2 / 2.5 cm

Preheat the oven to 120 ° C.
Coarsely chop the almonds. Melt the butter and pour it into the boule containing flour, sugar, almonds and egg yolk. Add for the last the grated lemon rind
Working with your hands to mix everything.
The dough will not be compact.
Transfer the mixture into the pan greased or covered with parchment paper (better) compacted by hand.
Draw decorative lines with a fork.
Bake at 120 ° / 130 ° for about 1 hour and in any case until the cake is golden brown.
Let cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.