Si’ nu’… babbà
Babà au Rhum was created in the early 18th century by pastry chef Nicolas Stohrer to satisfy the desire of King Stanislas Leszcynski, then exiled in Alsace. This soft pastry, initially soaked in Madeira wine and later in Jamaican rum, was taken in 1725 to Versailles when Princess Marie Leszcynska, daughter of the Polish king, marries Louis XV. Five years later, Stohrer opens what is now the oldest pastry shop in Paris, where Babás are still sold. In 1770 the Viennese croissant was brought to Versailles when another Austrian princess, famously known as Marie Antoinette, married Louis XVI. Her sister, Maria Caroline of Austria, married Ferdinand IV of Bourbon in 1768 and as such took the Babà to his court in Naples, among other Parisian specialties – such as bechamel sauce or the gratin technique. Popularized among the Neapolitan bourgeoisie in the 19th century, in the 20th century the Babà became, along with the Sfogliatella, the most popular cake among the inhabitants of this Italian city. Sold in various shapes and sizes, with and without rum syrup, the Naples Babà is more than a cake with history: it is a Fabrico Próprio phenomenon.
Text: Diletta Sereni
