“Ramerino” is an ancient Tuscan word from the 14th century and is the name that indicates the rosemary plant, a typically Mediterranean plant, which is found in abundance on the Florentine hills. Ramerino Bread, rather than a real dessert, is more specifically a bread typical of the Lent period which was once prepared for Holy Thursday. Pan di ramerino was considered a bread of devotion and was prepared with great care.
Each ingredient had its exact symbolic meaning.
In the Middle Ages it was believed that rosemary had specific properties suitable for warding off evil spirits, it was used like today’s incense, in many functions: during esoteric rites, as an amulet to defend oneself from evil forces and diseases, in propitiatory rites and in funeral ones.
In ancient Greece first, and then for Christianity, it became a symbol of the immortality of the soul; its scent was equated with memory, constancy, devotion, memory. Also linked to rosemary is the legend which tells that during the flight into Egypt, the Madonna’s cloak slipped on a rosemary plant and that from that day the flowers of the plant went from white to blue.
Grapes and Wheat, always considered a symbol of life, from the 7th century took on a more specific meaning linked to Christianity: they represent communion, symbolizing the mystical presence of Christ. The origin of this bread is certainly medieval: rosemary, zibibbo (dried grapes) and olive oil create a very particular contrast of flavors with an unmistakable fragrance. In modern times the recipe has been modified with the addition of sugar. The dessert looks like a small loaf with a cross cut which serves to facilitate leavening but which also gives it the appearance of a devotional bread. Pan di ramerino is traditionally linked to the period before Easter even if today it is also on sale at other times of the year; once, shouting “with oil”, street vendors offered it to women who went to church for the Holy Thursday mass so that the traditional blessing could take place during the mass. Today it is found frequently and throughout the year in bakeries, but for Florentines it still remains a tradition to eat it on Holy Thursday.
Source: Florentines in the World
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