Pope Francis sends a letter to paste artisan

Since the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has demonstrated special attention to small details. Gestures as unexpected calls to sick or brief “getaways” of the Vatican to visit businesses in Rome are a sign of their spontaneity and interest in simple people.

The last proof of this is a letter that has sent Nunzia, an Italian woman dedicated to the artisanal elaboration of orecchiettea traditional type of paste from the Apulia region, in southern Italy.

Its Spanish name means “small ears”, due to its rounded and rough shape that reminds of an ear. This paste, made with semolina, wheat and water flour, has become a symbol of the gastronomy of Bari Vecchia, where many women, such as Nunzia, prepare them in the streets of the old town.

“I have received a letter from the Vatican, where he says that I keep this tradition alive, which cannot be set aside,” says the Italian woman at the beginning of the video she has shared on her social networks.

Visibly excited, Nunzia points out that she is “proud” that Pope Francis has defended the importance of keeping the roots and ancient traditions alive, encouraging to integrate them so that they can last over time.

He assures that the words of the Pontiff “have given strength” and recalls the gesture that the mother of the Pope taught the little Jorge Bergoglio by cooking Argentine empanadas, when he sealed the edges with a fork, a detail that the Pontiff shared in his recent encyclical Loves us.

In the video, the Italian woman recalls with joy the encounter she had with the Holy Father after a general audience in the Vatican and, after highlighting that life is made of “hope”, he directs an emotional invitation:

“Thank you, your holiness. I look forward to the day when I have the honor of preparing the panzerotti (empanadas) as they were in the past and as they should always be done. ”

Nunzia has become one of the main defenders of this Italian tradition. Through your Instagram account, which already adds more than 60,000 followers, shares recipes and secrets to correctly make celebrities orecchiette, thus maintaining one of the most beloved customs of his land.