Gattopardo rum jelly

Today, together with our Cesarina Marilù from Catania, we discover how to make the Gattopardo Rum Jelly, an elegant dessert that has its roots in Italian literature.

"I was inspired by the book Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa for this recipe," Marilù explains. "At the end of the meal, they served the rum jelly, the dessert so beloved by Prince Don Fabrizio and the Princess".

This literary masterpiece is set in 19th-century Sicily, and the dessert that inspired Marilù's recipe represents one of the delicacies typical of the aristocratic cuisine of that time. The Gattopardo rum jelly is closely tied to the aristocratic tradition of Sicilian nobility, who often used fine ingredients, like rum, to create unique desserts.

The preparation of the Gattopardo rum jelly is simple yet refined, evoking the luxury and grandeur of banquets from the past. Rum, a drink cherished by the upper classes, is a distinctive ingredient in this jelly, giving it a strong, aromatic flavor.

A small piece of trivia that Marilù wants to share with us is that Pellegrino Artusi referred to it as "gelatina in gelo" because, in the past, the mold was kept in ice or immersed in cold water during the summer.

The Leopard - Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa is a cornerstone of 20th-century Italian literature, offering a melancholic reflection on the decline of the Sicilian nobility during the Risorgimento and the rise of the bourgeoisie. At the heart of the novel is Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina, whose family crest is symbolized by the leopard. This animal becomes a metaphor for a ruling class forced to accept a new social order.

The novel explores the inner conflict of the Prince, torn between attachment to the past and the awareness of the inevitable change. The famous line attributed to the Prince, "If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change," encapsulates the essence of the story. This phrase represents the strategy adopted by the aristocracy to preserve their status quo through compromise and an adherence to the new times, integrating elements of the new ruling class.

Thus, the work explores the twilight of an era and the birth of a new social structure in 19th-century Sicily.