''Pan minisc is a

sweet Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones, ...

from the

Basilicata Basilicata (, ; ), also known by its ancient name Lucania (, , ), is an administrative region in Southern Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south. It has two coastlines: a 30-kilometr ...

region 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 ...

. It is made with

grape must Must is freshly crushed fruit juice (usually grape juice) that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit. The solid portion of the must is called pomace and typically makes up 7–23% of the total weight of the must. Making must is the ...

flour Flour is a powder made by Mill (grinding), grinding raw grains, List of root vegetables, roots, beans, Nut (fruit), nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredie ...

and

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 ...

Name

The origin of the name is uncertain: it could mean 'grape bread' or 'mixed bread', and the pronunciation varies depending on the region, as does the name (it is also known as ''farinata'', and in

Avigliano Avigliano ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geography Overview The area surrounding Avigliano is considered mountainous with elevations varying between . Town's ...

and

Potenza Potenza (, ; ; , Potentino dialect: ''Putenz'') is a ''comune'' in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata (former Lucania). Capital of the Province of Potenza and the Basilicata region, the city is the highest regional capital and one of ...

it is called ''paparotta''). Traditionally associated with the grape harvest, it was an important source of energy for farmers when they had to face strenuous days of work.

Preparation

The grape must is brought to a boil in a pot over low heat, and once removed from the fire, it is mixed with

durum wheat Durum wheat (), also called pasta wheat or macaroni wheat (''Triticum durum'' or ''Triticum turgidum'' subsp. ''durum''), is a tetraploid species of wheat. It is the second most cultivated species of wheat after common wheat, although it repres ...

flour, sugar and spices. Put back on the heat, the mixture is continuously stirred until it thickens. Then, it is spread out on a plate to cool down and, finally, served. ''Pan minisc can be enjoyed either as a spoon dessert or cut into small portions and eaten with hands, depending on the desired consistency of the final product. In various variations, both black and white grapes, or both, can be used, resulting in different colours (ranging from pinkish to purplish) and slightly different flavours (either sweeter or more sour). In Avigliano, the grape must is flavoured with cinnamon and/or cloves, while in other areas such as Val d'Agri, pine nuts, chestnuts, raisins or dried figs may be added.

References

{{Reflist Italian desserts Cuisine of Basilicata Grape dishes

Name

Preparation

See also

References