De la Adam si Eva la placinta cu gutui/From Adam and Eve to Quince pie /

(For English version scroll down the page)

Undeva intre Marea Caspica si Marea Neagra si-a gasit casa o saminta de 'mar de aur'. La inceput salbatica, saminta se gindi sa-si inalte falnic puterea si sa-si scoata semet capul in lume strigindu-si victoria. Multi o vazura, multi o rivnira, multi se bucurara de darurile pe care ea le oferea lumii. 

Inainte de Hristos, grecii se gindira s-o pomeneasca in scrierile lor desemnind-o ca facind parte din ritualul de nunta. Naturalistii antici se gindira ce se gindira si pe loc o numira 'marul vrabiutei' sau 'marul de aur'. Mesopotamienii se hotarira s-o aduca in ograda lor si s-o cultive, undeva la nord de Irac, intre Tigru si Eufrat. Povestea si istoria s-a scris. Crescuta si adaptata pentru a bucura sufletele, limbile si imaginatia(si asta cu mult inainte ca marul sa existe pe acele paminturi), galbena gutuie a fost cintata de Solomon in ale lui Cintari.

Si-o intrebare, mai mult decit retorica incepe sa-si tese cale pe limba: chiar a muscat Eva din marul interzis in acea Gradina a Edenului ? Unii istorici, intelepti le-as zice eu, cred ca posibila tentatie din Gradina Raiului n-a fost altceva decit o gutuie. Cum, n-a fost altceva nici marul daruit de Paris frumoasei Afrodita. Sa mai pomenesc de darul facut Ioanei d'Arc la sosirea in Orleans dupa ce i-a eliberat pe francezi de sub dominatie engleza ?

In Slavonia, cind un copil se naste, se planteaza un pom de gutui, ca simbol al fertilitatii, dragostei si-al vietii. Iar Plutarh, in ale lui "Vieti", spune ca Solon ar fi decretat ca mirele si mireasa sa fie inchisi impreuna in pivnita si sa manince impreuna o gutuie. 

Frumos, nu ? 

De la Adam si Eva am trecut la o placinta cu gutui. Absolut dementiala. Nu stiu daca a mai facut-o cineva inaintea mea cum, nu stiu daca va fi pe placul multora care, probabil, se gindesc la acreala fructului. Va spun ca nu e asa precum va ginditi. Vin si va mai spun ca e o placinta de o finete desavirsita in ciuda asprimii foilor si-a cuvintelor, de o savoare inimaginabila si de-un gust pe care-l veti tine minte.

Pentru mine, placinta asta, un produs 100% Mala, e un suprem gust intre cele 'placintesti'. La fel cum e si cel al placintei cu brinza dulce si vanilie.

Ingrediente:

1 pachet de "Foi de placinta"(chiar asa se numesc si-s fabricate de o firma din jud. Prahova pt. lantul de magazine Lidl)

10 gutui medii

zahar

scortisoara

gris pt. presarat pe foi

ulei pt. stropit foile si tigaia

Gutuile spala-le, pune-le intr-o tava si da cu ele la copt, in cuptor, pt. 30-40 de minute. Scoate-le si lasa-le sa se raceasca pt. o vreme.

Fiecare foaie stropeste-o cu ulei, presar-o cu gris, rade mare cite o gutuie, presara generos cu zahar, scortisoara dupa gust apoi ruleaz-o. Coace-le in tigaie dubla(cu capac cu functie de tigaie si el) si stropite cu ulei, cite 10 minute pe fiecare parte, la foc mic. E mai mult decit suficient.

Daca nu incap sulurile in tigaie, taie-le in doua.

Cind sunt reci, presara-le cu zahar pudra.

Idee: foile de comert nu se preteaza la copt in cuptor fara o cantitate apreciabila de grasime, altfel vor fi uscate si mai mult decit deranjante la mincat. Cele folosite la placinta asta sunt excelente, au o suprafata generoasa si-o calitate mult superioara celorlalte gasite la ora actuala in comert. Amanuntul asta nu tine de reclama, advertise sau alte chestii de genul asta. E doar o 'smecherie' absolut necesara unei bucatareli de calitate.

"The homeland of the quince lies between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, a mountainous region called the Caucasus that touches northern Turkey and Iran as well as Southern Georgia. A knobby, irregular shaped variety still grows wild in this part of the world.

Mention of quince appears in Greek writings about 600 BCE as a ritual item in wedding ceremonies. Pliny, a Roman naturalist and writer of the first century CE, was familiar with quince and mentioned it when he described the Mulvian variety, a cultivated quince, as the only one that could be eaten raw. Columella, another ancient naturalist, describes three other varieties he names as the sparrow apple, golden apple, and the must apple.

Cultivation of the quince began in Mesopotamia, an area now Northern Iraq between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Between 200 and 100 BCE, this "golden apple" was cultivated by the Greeks as it traveled into the Eastern Mediterranean. The quince was actually cultivated prior to the apple and reached Palestine by 100 BCE. Reference to the apple in the Song of Solomon may not have been an apple at all but might have been a quince instead.

Did Eve really bite into an apple that she plucked off the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden? No specific name is given to the fruit she tasted from that tree, though apples are mentioned later in the Bible. Some historians believe Eve's fruit of temptation might have been a pomegranate or possibly even a quince.

In Slavonia (Croatia) when a baby is born, a quince tree is planted as a symbol of fertility, love and life. In the Canary Islands and some places in South America, a quince is used to play an informal beach toss-and-swim game, usually among young teens. When mixed with salt water, a mature quince will turn its sour taste to sweet. The game is played by throwing a quince into the sea. All players race to catch the quince and whoever catches it, takes one bite and tosses the quince again, then the whole process gets repeated until the quince is fully eaten. Ancient Greek poets (Ibycus, Aristophanes, e.g.) use quinces (kydonia) as a mildly ribald term for teenage breasts. Although the book of Genesis does not name the specific type of the fruit that Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden, some ancient texts suggest Eve's fruit of temptation might have been a quince. This was referenced during the Jeopardy  scene of the film White Men Can't Jump. In Plutarch's Lives, Solon is said to have decreed that "bride and bridegroom shall be shut into a chamber, and eat a quince together."

The film El Sol del Membrillo (1992) is a documentary about a painter, Antonio López García, who spends September through December painting a quince tree in his garden."

(Wiki source)

Ingredients:

10-12 sheets of pie (manufactured by a company from Prahova County, Romania for the chain store Lidl) 

10 medium quinces

sugar

cinnamon

semolina for sprinkled on sheets

oil for sprayed on sheets and pan 

Wash quinces, put them in a baking pan and bake them into the oven for 30-40 minutes. Take them out and let them cool for a while.

Sprayed with oil each sheet of pie, sprinkle it with semolina, grate a quince on each, sprinkle all generously with sugar and cinnamon. Roll then the pies. Put them in a double frying pan (with lid according to the pan), sprinkle with oil and fry, on low heat, for 10 minutes on each side. It's more than enough. 

If the rolls do not fit in the pan, cut them in half.

When cold, sprinkle them with powdered sugar.

Enjoy !