This is a post dedicated to the
guests of my Trullo della Luna. San Michele Salentino is a small village and it
is located just few miles from the trullo. It has not particular historic
architecture to visit but the living central square is a typical example of the
local Apulian life. In many occasions during the summer nights it pulses of
life and local festivities (fiere) take place.
One in particular is dedicated
to the “fica mandorlata”; it is a local specialty of desiccated figs and
toasted almonds. Some years ago someone, in a zealous venture, produced for the
stall market of the feast a T-shirt with a very ironic notice printed on the
front: “I love Fica Mandorlata”. The irony derives by a series of subtle
nuances of the Italian language: the word “fica” in the whole Italy has a
particular, quite popular and quite vulgar meaning. Don’t let me explain it
with my rough English… just say the “fica” is a feminine attribute normally
hidden by pants. Then the word “mandorlata” evokes something sweet as it refers
in some way of something covered by “mandorlato” a very sweet almond cake very
common in the whole Italy. The word “fig” can be translated “fico” and that is
the official Italian translation but in the local dialect the word for that
fruit is commonly and innocently defined as “fica” (feminine of “fico”). A simple
“a” used instead of an “o” can make a great difference in the meaning in
particular contexts. So the notice on the T-shirt, which became rapidly a desired gadget for the tourists, irritated a certain part of the local puritan
population. A great clamour aroused about this topic with very funny reviews on
the local newspapers.
The best assertion came from someone who officially
stated that whether one intends the word “fica” in the most commonly applied
meaning or in the local dialectal meaning, San Michele Salentino is able to
offer “fica” at the top of quality level! I am ready to pay double its price if
anyone can sell me a Fica-T-shirt. When I arrived to the “fiera” all T-shirts
were already sold out!
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