Ingredients
Italian baking prayers for the making of bread, pizza and other kinds of yeast-based dough -- by region
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REGION: CAMPANIA
PROVINCE: Caserta
TOWN: Mondragone
CONTRIBUTOR: Mrs. Angela Giulione as told to Pauline Fresco, her daughter-in-law.
NOTES AND PRAYER:
Two separate prayers were said when making bread.
They said this part of the prayer when they finished kneading the bread:
o [in Italian]: Peghiera per crescere il pane:
"Cresce pane a massa
Come cresceva Ges? nelle fasce."
o [in English translation] Prayer for Bread to Rise:
"Be kneaded and rise bread
as did Jesus in his swaddling cloth."
And this part of the prayer when they baked the bread:
o [in Italian] Preghiera per infornare il pane:
"Cresce pane al forno
Come cresceva Ges? per tutto il mondo."
o [in English translation] Prayer for the Baking of Bread:
"Grow bread in the oven
As Jesus grew throughout the world."
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Prayers were also said when wine was made.
This is what they said:
o [in Italian] "San Martino, ogni mosto ? vino."
o [in English translation] "San Martino, each must is wine."
My mother-in-law also recited a poem she remembered that children were taught in school to say to San Martino (This poem makes reference to wine-making):
San Martino, la nebbia all?alti colli
Pioveginale e sotto il maestrale
Urla e biancheggia il mare
Per le vie del borgo
Senti l?odore dei vini
Quest?anima a rallegrare.
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REGION: LAZIO
PROVINCE: Frosinone
TOWN:Ripi
CONTRIBUTOR: Pierina (Lina) Faustini
NOTES & PRAYER: When my family still lived in Italy in the early 1950s my mother who made the bread in our family would say the following prayer when mixing the flour with the other ingredients: "A nome di Dio falle venie buone," -- "In the name of God make it come out well." The words were always repeated twice. Later, after the dough had been kneaded and shaped into a ball, my mother would cut a cross into the unbaked loaf saying the words: "Pace e recieviere," "Peace and rise." After the unbaked loaves had rested and they had successfully risen, my mother would say, "Grazie a dio che hanno venuti buone," "Thanks to God that they have come out well."
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REGION: MARCHE
PROVINCE: Ascoli Piceno
CONTRIBUTOR: Micheline Di Gerolomo
NOTES AND PRAYER:
All I remember is that when my mother made dough in the 1960s she cut a cross into the unbaked loaf. She may have said a prayer, but if she did, she did not say it out loud.
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REGION: MOLISE
PROVINCE: Campobasso
TOWN: Casacalenda
CONTRIBUTOR: Mrs. Carmela DiTullio as told to her great niece, Mary Melfi.
NOTES AND PRAYER:
Prior to World War II home cooks said a prayer after they had mixed the ingredients, kneaded the dough and shaped it into a ball. Prior to placing the dough to rest they would cut a cross into the unbaked loaf. The entire prayer which was said out loud goes as follows:
o [in Italian]: "Padre, Figlio e Spirito Santo; Gesu, Giuseppe e Maria -- una nobile campagnia."
o [in English translation]: "Father, Son and Holy Spirit; Jesus, Joseph and Mary -- a noble company!"
The first part of the prayer, "Padre, Figlio e Spirito Santo," was said when the cross was cut into the unbaked loaf; the second part of the prayer, "Gesu, Giuseppe e Maria -- una nobile campagnia," was said when the cook punched the center of the cross (P.S. "Punching the dough" was, and still is, part of the Molisani-style way of kneading the dough -- the home cook not only kneads the dough with the palms of her hands, but also regularly punches the dough, giving the dough that light airy quality that everyone loves).
After the first rise, most home cooks on seeing that the dough had nicely risen and being obviously pleased by it would say the following short prayer:
o [in Italian]: "Dio ti benedica."
o [in English translation]: "May God bless you."
After the second rise and after the unbaked loaf had been kneaded a second time the home cook would cut a cross and might think of the words that go with the sign of the cross to herself ("Padre, Filio e Spirito Sante") but she would not say the words out loud.
When those who were born in Molise immigrated to Canada in the 1950s many continued to say the baking prayers (Mrs. Carmella DiTullio, at the wonderful age of 89, still makes her own bread and continues to follow the traditional procedures associated with it). In Canada when she notices that the bread is nicely rising in the oven she says the short prayer: "Dio ti benedica," "May God bless you."
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REGION: MOLISE
PROVINCE: Campobasso
TOWN: Casacalenda
CONTRIBUTOR: Mrs. Nina Melfi, as told to her daughter, Mary Melfi.
NOTES AND PRAYER:
My mother recalls that when she was growing up in Molise in the 1930s not only was a special prayer said when someone made bread, but the name of San Martino (Saint Martin) was invoked when someone dropped by and found that the home cook was making bread. The individual who dropped by would say San Martino's name in the hope that by saying it she would prevent il malocchio, the evil eye (which she may have inadvertently brought in) from harming the dough, and thus preventing it from rising. Basically, San Martino's name was considered an antidote, or preventive measure, against the evil eye. San Martino's name was also invoked if a visitor dropped by and found the home cook canning tomatoes, or found the family in the process of making wine. My mother notes that visitors, as well, as the home cook herself, only called upon San Martino's intervention to stop bad things from happening for major cooking tasks such as when one made bread, canned vegetables or made wine. For everyday cooking the saint was not called upon to dispel the evil eye. In actual fact, the prayer that went along with bread-making was not directed at San Martino at all. The baking prayer that was said in her house when she was growing up contained the words that went with the sign of the cross, plus a few extra words attached to it. In Italian (dialect, actually) the words of the prayer rhyme and sound really nice to the ear. It seems (according to my mother) that the home cook did not cross herself while saying the baking prayer (My mother found the idea of crossing oneself odd and was shocked to learn that in other areas of Italy some home cooks did so). In any case, once again, according to my mother (The ritual may have differed from household to household) after the dough had been kneaded and shaped, the home cook said the following words while she cut a cross with the side of her hand into the unbaked loaf (The words were directed at the bread, as if the home cook were speaking directly to it):
o [in Italian]: "Padre, Figlio e Spirit' Sant', cresce se masse come bambin' quand nasch'."
o [in English translation]: "Father, Son and Holy Spirit, [make] the bread grow like when a baby is born."
When a home cooked checked on the unbaked loaf and saw that it was rising well and that the cross that had been cut into it was slowly disappearing she would say, "Dio ti benedico," "May God bless you." Basically, it was a prayer of gratitude -- the cook was thankful that the dough had risen and so the bread would be good to eat. Apparently, if someone dropped by while bread was being made, that visitor would also say the short prayer, "Dio ti benedico." Actually, the words, "Dio ti benedico" were also said when a baby was brought into a room, or when a young child came in. Obviously, the one who said the short prayer wanted God to look out for the best interests of the child and wanted nothing bad to happen to him or her.
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REGION: MOLISE
PROVINCE: Campobasso
TOWN: Casacalenda
CONTRIBUTOR: Mrs. Nina Melfi, as told to Mary Melfi, her daughter years ago.
NOTES AND PRAYER: Some home cooks in the town of Casacalenda said the following short prayer when cutting a cross into an unbaked loaf:
o [in dialect] "Ges? Crist' far' il pan' doppie'."
o [in English translation] "Jesus Christ make the dough double in size."
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REGION: MOLISE
PROVINCE: Campobasso
TOWN: Casacalenda
CONTRIBUTOR: Giuseppe Melfi as told to his daughter, Mary Melfi
NOTES AND PRAYER: My father remembers that when his mother made bread, she would make the sign of the cross on an unbaked loaf and say the words: "Cresci Santi," "Grow saints." As the word saint, "santo," and holy, "santo," are exactly the same in Italian, I asked my father if what his mother said was "grow in holiness" or "grow saints" and he answered that the word "santi" referred to saints, as in Saint Joseph. The short prayer sounds a little odd as the prayer is not addressed to anyone, but perhaps it is a shortened version of a longer prayer.
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REGION: MOLISE
PROVINCE: Campobasso
TOWN: Casacalenda
CONTRIBUTOR: Mrs. Vincelli
NOTES AND PRAYER:
When I was still living in Italy in the early 1950s I remember that when my mother made bread she always cut a cross into an unbaked loaf, but I don't believe she said a prayer (If she did say one, it was said silently for I never heard her say anything out loud.). However, when people came to visit and noticed that my mother was making bread they would generally say something like:
o In Italian (dialect), "San Martin' 'pose cresce belle ou pane."
o In English translation: "St. Martin let's hope the bread will rise nicely."
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REGION: MOLISE
PROVINCE: Campobasso
TOWN: Casacalenda
CONTRIBUTOR: Susy DiTullio
NOTES AND PRAYER: When my mother made dough she cut a cross with the side of her hand into the unbaked loaf and said the words that go with the sign of the cross (The words were said in dialect):
o [in Italian] "Nel nome del Padre e del Figli' e del' Spirit' Sant', Amen."
o [in English translation] "In the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy spirit, Amen."
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REGION: MOLISE
PROVINCE: Campobasso
TOWN: Casacalenda
CONTRIBUTOR: Mrs. Rosina Melfi as told to her niece, Mary Melfi.
NOTES AND PRAYER:
In Casacalenda some people said the words to the sign of the cross out loud when they cut a cross into the unbaked loaf, some people thought the words to the prayer but did not say them out loud, while others made the cross and left it at that. Those that did say the prayer, would say the last word of the prayer, Amen, at the exact same moment as they pinched the center of the cross with two fingers (The fingers next to the thumb on the right hand).
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REGION: MOLISE
PROVINCE: Campobasso
TOWN: Santa Croce di Magliano
CONTRIBUTOR: Tony Alfieri
NOTES AND PRAYER: When my mother cut a cross into the unbaked loaf she would say the words:
o [in Italian]: "Dio ti benedico."
o [in English translation]: "May God bless you."
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REGION: MOLISE
PROVINCE: Campobasso
TOWN: Ururi
CONTRIBUTOR: Mrs. Tina Altavilla
NOTES AND PRAYER:
After my mother had kneaded the dough and shaped it into a ball, she first made the sign of the cross on herself (She did not say any prayer when crossing herself -- she may have thought it, but nothing was said out loud) and then she cut a cross with the side of her hand into the unbaked loaf saying the following prayer:
o [in Italian] Gesu tu che puoi tutto fa, crescere questo pane per sfamare i tuoi figli. Nel nome del padre del Figlio e dello Spirto Santo.
o [in English translation] Jesus, you who can do all things, make this bread grow to feed your children. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
After the second rise my mother would bring the unbaked loaves to the communal oven. There at the communal oven my mother would again cross herself, say the above prayer, and then cut a cross into the unbaked loaf. This cross would become part of the design of the bread. At that time the way a cross was cut into the unbaked loaf would signal the identity of the one who had made it. Some cooks made their cross on the top of the loaf, some on the side. Some cooks made their cross long, others short etc. So the size and shape of the cross made on the bread ended up being an identifying mark -- the people who went to the communal oven to pick up their bread knew exactly who had baked what.
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REGION: MOLISE
PROVINCE: Campobasso
CITY: Larino
CONTRIBUTOR: The Ferri Family
NOTES AND PRAYER:
My mother and grandmother did not say a special prayer when they were baking, but if the food turned out well either while it was baking or after it was made, they said something like, "Dio Benedica," meaning something like "God bless it." This would also have been said once the dough had successfully risen, in fact whenever food was perfect, such as the tomatoes in their garden, or whatever. Perhaps it was said to ward off any superstitions.
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REGION: PUGLIA
PROVINCE: Bari
TOWN: Terlizzi
CONTRIBUTOR: Gemma Forliano
NOTES AND PRAYER:
When my mother made dough (generally for pizza) she said the following prayer while cutting a cross into the unbaked loaf:
o [in Italian] "Pane pane cresci cresci come Jesu bambino."
o [in English translation] "Bread bread grow grow like baby Jesus."
After my mother had cut a cross into the unbaked loaf, she made the sign of the cross on herself and sometimes while doing this she would also say the "Our Father," the Lord's prayer, in Italian. When she was in a hurry she simply said "Pane pane cresci cresci come Jesu bambinio" and the Latin words, "Pater Noster," and did not follow up with the Lord's prayer.
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REGION: PUGLIA
PROVINCE: Bari
Town: Pallo del Colle
CONTRIBUTOR: Gerry Vessia
NOTES AND PRAYER:
When I was growing up in Pallo del Colle in the early 1950s my mother not only made the sign of the cross on an unbaked loaf when she made bread, but she also made the sign of the cross on the flour she would use to make the bread. After she had made a mound of flour on a wooden board and put the water and yeast in the center, she made the sign of the cross over it. The sign of the cross was made in the usual fashion -- one's right hand was placed vertically and then moved right to center, after which the fingers were closed and the hand, kissed. Many Italians still cross themselves in this fashion -- they make the sign of the cross and then kiss their hand (In actual fact they are not kissing their hand but kissing what the hand represents -- a crucifix). In any case, the sign of the cross made over the mound of flour did not in any way change its shape -- the cross did not touch any of the ingredients. As far as I can remember my mother did not say a prayer when she made the sign of the cross over the mound of flour, she may have said the words to the sign of the cross, but she did not say them out loud. As noted previously, besides making the sign of the cross over the mound of flour with the yeast and water in the center, my mother also made the sign of the cross after she had mixed the ingredients, had shaped the dough, had made the dough rest, and then after re-shaping the dough into a long loaf with pieces of dough braided to the top, she again made the sign of the cross. The cross was not cut into the loaf, but was made over the unbaked loaf (It did not affect the design of the loaf). If my mother said a prayer, she said it silently, for I do not remember her saying any words out loud.
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REGION: PUGLIA
PROVINCE: Taranto
Town: Lucina
CONTRIBUTOR: Mrs. Anna Miccoli as told to Mary Melfi
Notes and prayer: Mrs. Anna Miccoli who immigrated to Canada in the early 1960s notes that very few people of her generation said prayers when making bread. Even her own mother did not say a prayer. However, her grandmother and others of the same age group (born in the late 19th century) said the words," Cresci Santi," "Grow saints," when they cut the sign of the cross on their unbaked bread loaves, and then later they would say the same words when they placed the bread in the oven. Mrs. Anna Miccoli stressed the fact that home cooks cut the cross into the bread not for religious reasons, but rather that the bread loaf needed to be scorned for it to increase in volume as it was supposed to. Mrs. Anna Miccoli also indicated that the short prayer was not said for other yeast-based foods such as taralli. The words, "cresci santi," were only said when bread was being made.
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Directions
Notes
Prior to World War II it was customary for home cooks to say a prayer when making bread, pizza or any other type of yeast dough. The baking prayer was generally said after the ingredients had been mixed and the dough had been kneaded. Prior to the dough being placed in a container for it to rest, the home cook would cut a cross into the unbaked loaf and ask Jesus or some favored saint to ensure that the dough would rise and be good to eat. It seems that most home cooks used the side of their right hand to cut the cross into the unbaked loaf. This cross would not affect the design of the loaf as it would disappear after the dough had risen. In some towns home cooks also said a second prayer and made a second cross into the risen dough, and this cross would then be part of the design of the bread. However, the cross that would be part of the permanent design in the loaf of bread had to be made right before it went into the oven. This was no easy feat as few households prior to World War II owned ovens, so those home cooks who wanted a cross on their bread had to go to the communal oven and cut a cross into the unbaked loaf just prior to it going in the oven. Not all home cooks took the trouble to do this (My own mother, for example, did not do this, so that what bread she did bake did not end up with a cross on it.). Those that did go to the oven to make their cross, often made the mark not just for the religious significance associated with it, but also because how and where they placed the cross on the loaf would indicate who had baked it. Some cooks made their cross on the side of the loaf, some on top, others made them long, others short etc. So how and where they placed their cross would become a kind of personal trademark. In actual fact, according to my aunt, Zia Rosina, some home cooks did not use the symbol of a cross, but used other identifying marks such as circles, keys or extra pieces of dough. It was the responsibility of the home cook to make sure that the unbaked loaves that went into the oven were the ones she herself had made. The identifying mark was a kind of guarantee, that yes, what the home cook had made, was what was given back to her. Prior to World War II baking bread was a big responsibility. Any mistake on the part of the home cook could have disastrous consequences (E.g., Not having any bread or pizza to eat for a long long while!). The baking prayers said in each region differed from province to province, town to town, from household to household..... Additions to the list presented in this entry are most welcomed. |
