When I arrived at the Fancy Food Show, my boss Ihsan Gurdal (see photo of him to the left in his “element,” surrounded by cheeses!!) directed me in several different directions. One of them was to visit Delfina Romanengo, the highlight of my experience at the show.
I reached Delfina’s booth amongst the crowds of people running around like
crazy animals eating as many samples as possible. She stood there behind her stand as though she was completely detached from her current surroundings. It was as if she was mentally removed from the chaotic food show and still standing in the historic shop, Pietro Romanengo Fu Stefano, on Via Soziglia in Genoa. And so, as I approached the stall at the show, I felt like I was entering a severely reduced version of the historic store. I briefly spoke to Delfina. I wish I could speak Italian so that I could have explained to her how fascinated I was by her handcrafted candies, her beautifully exquisite candied fruits and fondants.
She gave me a brochure that I feel funny calling a “brochure.” It’s more like a historical guide through her shop. The story of Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano begins with Antonio Maria Romanengo in Genoa during the second half of the 18th century. He opened a colonial goods and drugstore. His son Stefano received a diploma in confectionary from the University of Genoa, and, in 1814, he opened up the store on Via Soziglia. Stefano’s son Pietro registered the company with the Chamber of Commerce and Arts as "Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano" to ensure that his father's name lived on. Pietro helped establish the stunning packaging. He designed the dove and olive branch logo, a symbol of peace in the wake of the Napoleonic wars. He also established the company's blue paper packaging which was once used to wrap up sugar cones.
The candies were popular among many historical figures:
Giuseppe Verdi - his letters on Romanengo's candied fruits are kept in La Scala museum Prince Umberto and Margherita of 
Savoy – In 1868, they ordered the candy for their wedding – the order is now kept in the historical archives of the Commune of Genoa
Vittorio Emanuele II
Two Influences on Pietro’s One-of-a-
Kind Confectionery: the Middle East and France
During the Crusades, Europe’s culinary traditions were affected by the Arab world. Chocolate, sugared goods, preserves, candied fruit, syrups and liqueurs all first appeared in the Middle East. Since the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Genoa had some of Europe’s most renowned confectionaries. Despite their established success in this craft, it was not until the 18th century that these confectionaries reached new heights in their techniques. This was due to the French. Pietro used French industrial machinery. Pietro drew inspiration from the Parisian confectioners.
Why would Pietro Romanengo turn to Paris? 
During the second half of the 17th century, Parisian cooks were revolutionizing modern cuisine. The 17th century was the heyday of vegetables and fruit in France. Before this time period, they were dismissed as indigestible food for peasants. It was not until 1683 that Dr. Nicholas Venette explained that they were good for you. French scholar, Joan DeJean explains that French food writers were preaching the message to use the finest and freshest ingredients in the simplest way possible. This probably helped to produce the 17th-century obsession with confitures and the science of drying and preserving fruits. By the 18th century, many Parisian candy makers opened up shops in Italy.
Tasting the fruit gelées from Pietro Romanengo:
The day after the Fancy Food Show, Delfina came by the shop and gave me two boxes of fruit gelées. What are these fruit gelées? They look likes jelly candies, but taste like delicious fruit pastries. Each gelée is inserted with the natural juices from the fruit. Starch is used to create the coating on the outside. When I gave one to Amy, my coworker, she explained that the outside tasted like an icing. These candies are truly works of art. The history behind them is extraordinary.
Comments