Neapolitan Babà: origins of the exceptional Neapolitan dessert.

Undisputed masterpiece of the Neapolitan culinary heritage, ‘o babbà is a true delight! What perhaps few imagine is that this stunning leavened cake actually has its origins with a Polish king and not with a Neapolitan pastry chef! Discover with us the true story of the Neapolitan rum babà, the original recipe, and how to enjoy it!
Yes, we wrote it with 2 "b" babbà because it sounds much better, but the original name is babà as we explain in this article.

Neapolitan Babà: a long journey from Poland to Naples via France

The name from which everything began is that of Stanislaus Leszczinski, King of Poland from 1704 to 1735, father-in-law of Louis XV of France, who married his daughter Maria and, after being dethroned, was given the Duchy of Lorraine.

King Stanislaus was a visionary, developing a program for international collaboration and European integration. A demanding project that required a lot of energy. And what better than a dessert to recharge? The pastry chefs of Lorraine were accustomed to serving King Stanislaus the “kugelhupf,” a typical cake from Lorraine made with flour, butter, sugar, eggs, and sultana grapes. To all this, brewer's yeast was added, but the king was not enthusiastic about this specialty. The reason is soon told, the king had no teeth and the cake was too dry.

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One day when he was too nervous, the king threw the cake across the table. Legend has it that the toss interrupted against a bottle of rum that shattered upon impact. The liquid contained in the bottle poured over the cake, which took on an intoxicating aroma. Struck by the smell, the king wanted to taste it and fell madly in love.

The king, a great fan of The Thousand and One Nights, named the new dessert Ali Babà. From the court of Stanislaus I Leszczynski, the cake made its way to France, where it was simply called Babà. From Paris, it then reached Naples thanks to the monsù, professional cooks representing the meeting of French and Neapolitan cuisine.

Today, babà is one of the most famous desserts in Neapolitan pastry and is offered in various versions, from the most classic to the most decadent based on fruits or creams.

Neapolitan Babà, the original recipe

The recipe we are about to present to you is a recipe of ancient tradition, taken from the famous book of authentic Neapolitan recipes, “Frijenno Magnanno” by Luciano De Crescenzo.

Ingredients

300 gr of flour

100 gr of butter

5 whole eggs

1 tablespoon of sugar

40 gr of brewer's yeast

a pinch of salt

some rum

1/2 liter of water

175 gr of sugar

1 lemon peel

Pour only 100 gr of flour onto the table, the yeast previously dissolved in a cup of lukewarm water, a pinch of salt, and knead. Once the dough is soft and fluffy, place it in a floured cloth under a blanket. After about 10-12 minutes, check the rise. Now place the dough on the table. Add the remaining 200 gr of flour, butter, sugar, and the eggs one at a time to the mixture. The mixture will stick to the palm of your hand, this will be the time to work it. If you want to achieve a good result, you must knead for a long time.

Meanwhile, grease a baking pan with butter and flour, place the mixture inside, making sure to spread it well around with your hands. Let it rise again under a blanket for about thirty minutes and then bake. The temperature, between 180°C and 220°C, will vary depending on the size of the babà. As soon as the babà takes on a brownish color, turn off the oven and let it dry. Separately, boil in a saucepan half a liter of water, 175 gr of sugar, and a lemon peel. When it has cooled, pour in the rum and stir.

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Now take the babà out of the oven and with a spoon pour the rum over it. When it's nice and soaked, turn it upside down and repeat the operation on the other side.

Here is your delightful babà ready: every true Neapolitan would say that “cu chistu babbà me so’ cunzulato” (With this babà I have consoled myself)

Neapolitan Babà: have you ever tried pairing it with wine?

By now you understand: the babà is a baked dessert of Polish origin that was then imported to France and has become typical of Neapolitan pastry, with a characteristic mushroom shape and an enveloping touch of rum, at least in its most common version. Especially in the city of Naples, at the foot of Vesuvius, the babà cannot be missing from the Sunday or festive table. The babà exalts the Neapolitan spirit in its joy and generosity, it is the culinary symbol in pastry, just as pizza is for the rest.

Now, since the babà is already associated with limoncello or rum, it's not easy to find a wine that can accompany it without creating dissonant notes. A typical sweet wine like a Moscato d’Asti or Moscato di Saracena is perfect. In reality, it is enough to refer to sweet, soft, fresh sparkling wines, low in alcohol and with an intense fragrance.

If you want to accompany the babà in all its majesty and rise to the occasion, you might try a Sidro del Sannio, a wine made from annurca apples and lemons, or Lambiccato, a must of moscato that is freshly fermented and filtered with linen cloths.

Francesco Scuderi