''Cupeta'' or ''copeta'' (originating from

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

''qubbayt'', literally meaning 'preserved sweet') is a

dessert Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal; the course consists of sweet foods, such as cake, biscuit, ice cream, and possibly a beverage, such as dessert wine or liqueur. Some cultures sweeten foods that are more commonly umami, ...

made from

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

, dissolved

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

and diced

almonds The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the sh ...

. ''Cupeta'' is usually consumed during the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

period in the

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

and

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

regions of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, as well as in Ponente Ligure, where on the other hand it is prepared all-year-long.

Etymology

Several sources (including official Italian ministerial ones) state that the name comes from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

word ''cupedia''; however, this is an incorrect etymological attribution made by

Matteo Camera Matteo Camera (Amalfi, 20 November 1820 – Salerno, 2 December 1891) was an Italian historian and numismatist. He primarily published works about history of Southern Italy and the town of Amalfi Amalfi (, , ) is a town and ''comune'' in the ...

in 1838. The similar Latin terms ''cupedia'' and ''copadia'' respectively mean 'sweat treats' and 'meat pieces'. Some sources hold the view that the name ''cupeta'', on the other hand, comes from the Arabic word ''qubbayt'', literally meaning 'sweet preserve', and was documented for the first time in a document from

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

of 1287, where a ''cubaydario'' cited (a producer of ''cubaita'', a dessert made of apples, almonds, toasted chickpeas and sesami seeds). The name is then mentioned by

Giambattista Basile Giambattista Basile ( – 23 February 1632) was an Italian poet, courtier, and fairy tale collector. His collections include the oldest recorded forms of many well-known (and more obscure) European fairy tales. He is chiefly remembered for writi ...

(

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, 600s) twice; in the ''Lo cunto de li cunti overo lo trattamento de peccerille'' and in the ''Le cinco figlie'', as well as by

Giulio Cesare Cortese Giulio Cesare Cortese (1570 in Naples, Kingdom of Naples – 22 December 1622 in Naples) was a writer and poet. Life Born to a well-to-do family, nothing is known of Cortese's early life, though it is thought that he was a schoolmate of Giambatti ...

in the ''Micco Passaro nnammorato''.

History

The word ''cupeta'' is of

origins. The first explicit record of its existence in Italy dates back to 1287.Dionisius A. Agius, ''Siculo Arabic'', Routledge, 2010
pag. 252
The dessert was part of the wedding feast of

Bona Sforza Bona Sforza (2 February 1494 – 19 November 1557) was Queen consort, Queen of Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569), Poland and List of Lithuanian consorts, Grand Duchess of Lithuania as the second wife of Sigismund the Old, and Duchess of Bari and ...

and

Sigismund I the Old Sigismund I the Old (, ; 1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548) was List of Polish monarchs, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until his death in 1548. Sigismund I was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the son of Casimir IV of P ...

in 1517.

Preparation method

''Cupeta'' is made from a liquified mixture of almonds, honey and sugar; which is then either left to solidify or consumed in a semi-liquid form. The specific recipe, which may include additional ingredients, varies from region to region and may present differences depending family traditions. The preparation method is similar to the one used for ''

giurgiulena The ''giurgiulena'', also known as ''giuggiulena'', ''cubaita'' or ''cumpittu'', is a traditional Christmas nougat-like candy, typical of the Sicilian cuisine and in use in a large part of Calabria. The main ingredient is sesame, which in Sici ...

'', which however differs in the addition of

sesame seeds Sesame (; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a plant in the genus ''Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for it ...

. ''Cupeta'' was awarded the recognition of being a ('traditional agri-food product from Calabria, Campania and Apulia').

Variants

, ''copeta'' is produced in the provinces of

Avellino Avellino () is a city and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento. ...

Benevento Benevento ( ; , ; ) is a city and (municipality) of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the Sabato (r ...

and

Salerno Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Campania, southwestern Italy, and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after Naples. It is located ...

and is considered a white, compact, '' torrone'' flavoured with

hazelnut The hazelnut is the fruit of the hazel tree and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus '' Corylus'', especially the nuts of the species ''Corylus avellana''. They are also known as cobnuts or filberts according to ...

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...

s and

pistachio The pistachio (, ; ''Pistacia vera'') is a small to medium-sized tree of the Anacardiaceae, cashew family, originating in Iran. The tree produces nut (fruit)#Culinary definition and uses, seeds that are widely consumed as food. In 2022, world ...

s. In the

province of Rieti The province of Rieti () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lazio region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Rieti. Established in 1927, it has an area of with a total population of 157,887 people as of 2017. There are 73 ''comuni'' (: '' ...

, Lazio, and in the

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...

region, ''copeta'' is prepared with

and diced

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...

s, and is usually soft and in the shape of a square rather than being crunchy and rectangular; it is usually served on ''

Laurus nobilis ''Laurus nobilis'' is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glabrous (smooth) leaves. It is in the flowering plant family Lauraceae. According to Flora Cretica (Kleinsteuber Books, 2024, ISBN 978-3-9818110-5-6) the stem can be 1 ...

'' leaves, used as a container and preserver.REGIONE LAZIO - Dipartimento Sviluppo Agricolo e Mondo Rurale - Ufficio Speciale per lo Sviluppo Agricolo e Mondo Rurale
Copeta - SCHEDA DI INDIVIDUAZIONE PRODOTTI TRADIZIONALI

Copeta.jpg, ''Copeta campana'' Copeta di Rieti 02.jpg, ''Copeta morbida reatina''

References

Bibliography

* Pitaro Francesco, ''La copéta, l'antico dolce natalizio calabrese'', Grafiche Lucia, 2008. * Sebastiano Rizza,''Cupeta: storia di un dolce enigma'', https://web.archive.org/web/20160313115903/http://digilander.libero.it/cultura.popolare/pignola/parole/cupeta.html.

External links

{{Commons category
Cupeta
su nelSalento.com Almond desserts Cuisine of Calabria Cuisine of Apulia Christmas food