Lu capituni et lu Papa/ The eel and the Pope

Accussì...unni lu focu fu et jacqua vinni...

longu 'n Bolsena vinni...da 'nu mari luntanu...
lu capituni...accussì comu 'nu scursuni...
pì dû paureddu mensa fari comu dû nobbili...
et su la tavula dû puru finìu
longu chiddu pisci et cun lu rassu...
cà puru Martinu lu Papa s'affucau...et pì gula fu castìu.

English:

So ... where the fire was and was water ...
long in Bolsena came ... from a distant sea ...
eel ... well ... like a snake
for the poor to the table as the noble ...
and on the table of the Pope well it was finished...
along with the fish and the fat ...
well that Pope Martin choked ... and throat was punishment.

The eel is a fish known from meats appreciated.
For example, we should think of the area Comacchio, in the province of Ferrara, where he was also dedicated a festival .
The eel is also present in New York.
In the province of Viterbo there is the Lake of Bolsena, a very large volcanic lake.
This lake is populated by eels, that the inhabitants the area cook in various ways.
Just think of all stewed eel.






Here the history of this fish is intertwined with that of a Pope, Pope Martin IV (1220-1285, in the picture above).
This Pope is remembered for his gluttony.
In his "Divine Comedy," Dante Alighieri placed it in Purgatory (Canto XXIV), in the group of greedy.
So, this Pope is quoted in the work:







" ... held the holy Church and her arms: the torso was,

and purges by his fasting

Bolsena's eels and the Vernaccia ".




In fact, Pope Martin IV was very greedy and he was fond of eel. Unfortunately, this his greed cost him dear. He died for his greed. This Pope I dedicated a recipe: Risotto of Pope Martin IV .




For 6 people : 

500 grams of Carnaroli rice or Vialone Nano rice;

2 onions;

2 glasses of white wine, Vernaccia of San Gimignano or possibly Est Est Est;

1.5 liters of boiling fish broth,

1 big eel; 200 grams of tomato sauce;

a bit of parsley,

olive oil,

125 grams of butter.






Preparation: 

Put a little of olive oil in a pan, fry it in the diced onion and put the eel eviscerated and cut into slices and parsley. Cook the eel for about ten minutes and add to it half a glass of wine and let evaporate the alcohol. Add the tomato sauce and finish cooking. When the eel is cooked, remove its steaks from the sauce and strip the flesh off.  Put the pieces of eel meat in the sauce. In another pan, fry the other diced onion in melted butter. Add the rice, let them absorb the butter and moisten with the remaining wine ( you will make it evaporate) and then moisten with two ladles of fish stock, stirring constantly.When the stock will be absorbed repeat the process three or four times. When the rice is cooked, remove from heat and season with chopped meat of eel and its sauce. Stir so the risotto. The eel is a fish fat and therefore do not need butter to thicken the risotto. 

Enjoy your meal and best regards.