The Salento is a magnificent land and reserves for its many tourists and residents, food and wine events of the highest level and long-standing tradition.
Among these, the Festa della Municeddha stands out. This year we had the opportunity to patronise this event alongside local institutions and Slow Food, and we Foodisti felt intense emotions following Festa della Municeddha from the moment the dishes were prepared, to backstage at the various concerts.
Festa della Municeddha in Cannole: a small community of 1704 inhabitants ready to welcome many visitors, every day
Festa della Municeddha is a magnificent event that fills the magnificent Cannole, a small town of 1704 inhabitants in the province of Lecce, in the heart of Grecìa Salentina (source: Wikipedia), with visitors and tourists, in the name of conviviality and being together around a table.
In this beautiful, small and cosy town there is one of our favourite places, the Museum (Ubaldo Villani) of the Art of Olive Oil and Rural Civilisation, which we absolutely recommend you visit to feel the strong bond that we Salentini have with our land, Salento.
Municeddha Festival in Cannole: one of the longest-running food events in Salento
This year, thanks to the invitation of Proloco Cerceto Cannole, we have given our patronage to this important event, now in its 34th edition.
We invite you to learn a little more about the origins of Festa della Municeddha, just to try to understand and grasp the effort and commitment of the organisers and volunteers.
Are you ready to take this food and wine journey through Salento’s traditions with us?
If so, read on for what we have to tell you.
Feast of the Municeddha: Cannole City of Snails
Festa della Municeddha is an event that praises its mae-stà the snail, fried, in sauce and roasted.
A true masterpiece of goodness.
The Municeddha is linked to the DNA of the inhabitants of Cannole, sympathetically called cuzzari, or mussel gatherers.
It is no coincidence that the Municeddha Festival is the most important event linked to the snail in the south of Italy. In fact, for this reason, the municipality of Cannole is in the consortium of twelve municipalities distinguished by the presence of snails in eliciculture and gastronomy with the title of City of Snails together with the municipalities of Casumaro (FE), Gesico (CA) and Cantalupo di Bevanga (PG).
What is the Municeddha: the cute snail bred and eaten in Cannole
There are almost four thousand species of snails in the Helix genus, the one presented in Cannole is the Helix Aperta, known in scientific literature as Cantareus Apertus.
Better from a gastronomic point of view, this cute snail secretes a white operculum, a very robust calcareous epiphragma, thanks to which it protects itself during summer hibernation from the weather.
This white cap is reminiscent of a nun’s habit, hence the dialect term Municeddha (little nun or monachina).
Feast of the Municeddha: dishes are served during the feast days
We witnessed the preparation of the food and some of the preparations are presented in the video below.
Needless to say, ‘under the shell’ of the municeddha are volunteers, young and old, who already a week before the start of the event, as if on an assembly line, prepare the delicious dishes of the Salento peasant tradition:
- snails: they are prepared, cleaned and blanched, cooked and served roasted, with sauce and fried
- rustic pizza
- meatballs, or meatballs as foreigners would say
- chunks with sauce: the famous horse chunks
- grilled sausages and slices
- pipirussi: red, yellow and green peppers
- typical Salento desserts: torta pasticciotto, spumone (typical Salento ice cream in different flavours), cupeta (a caramelised nougat).
The km0 goodness is served by the volunteers of Pro Loco Cerceto, which organises this wonderful food and wine event.
Videotelling of Festa della Municeddha: the industriousness of snails
Videotelling is our best tool to tell you about a different Salento.
This year we have launched together with Ruggeri & Associati and I’ll do me, a new brand, Moustache Brothers videotelling.
Follow us also Foodismo on YOUTUBE
Readings and advice
If you are interested in the fabulous and profitable world of snails and want to learn more, you can read these interesting texts and manuals on snail farming:
The snail. Practical Handbook of Heliculture
MODERN SNAIL FARMING – PRACTICAL HANDBOOK
The Snail. Principles of Heliculture
