The babà is not just a traditional Neapolitan dessert, it is a symbol of culture and bond between peoples. France, Poland, Austria and of course Italy, if we talk about babà, come together in a complex history that leads up to the present day. This is why babà can be considered like Naples a special melting pot where differences contribute to excellence.
And it is on this bridge between different ideas that Mille & Un Babà was developed, the first contest to give new faces to tradition.
The winner is Alì Babà by Andrea Sacchetti from Pasticceria Nuovo Mondo in Prato. Classic paste, lime and vanilla aroma bathed in Diplomatico Rum, one of the most prestigious.
In third place was Fabio Scozzafava, the outsider as he was defined by the Jury composed of Antimo Caputo, Sal De Riso, Sabatino Sirica and Gennaro Esposito. This definition derives from the fact that despite being a pizza chef, Scozzafava is passionate about 360° leavening and has created a wonderful babà for gluten-free and lactose-free intolerants: Babà Re.
Second place was Vincenzo D'Aloisio from Pasticceria Venezuela 1963 in Barletta. A wonderful three-dimensional flower all made with an almond theme with mayonnaise and ganache prepared with this dried fruit is his Mood for One Thousand & One Baba.
In addition to the 3 first place winners, many really interesting proposals such as
the babà with buffalo milk products by Luigi Avallone from the Pasticceria Fratelli Avallone in Quarto,
the exotic babà by Nicola Obliato from the Mille Dolcezze pastry shop in Frattamaggiore which gives freshness by mixing rum with passion fruit and mango
The babà eruption of flavor with a lava based on raspberry and rum by Giuseppe Cristofaro from Pasticceria la Dolce Voglia in Frattaminore, all spread on 2 hands of chocolate to symbolize the richness of Naples
the Mandarin-based BabàRino by Pasquale Pesce from the Pasticceria Pesce di Avella,
The “village dreams” babà by GianMaria Monti from Pasticceria Monti based on sour cherries and anise typical of the Latina area
And finally the Donna Lucia babà by Ciro Cascone from the Donna Lucia Prisco pastry shop in Ercolano with GrandMarnier, coffee, mascarpone and caramel.
The moral of the story is that diversity is wealth, always naturally starting from a central nucleus of values, as can be the Neapolitan tradition.
