The Manna of the gods: a biblical substance full of benefits.

The biblical quote from Exodus ""manna from heaven"" refers to the long period of nomadism of the Jewish people in the desert, fleeing from the slavery imposed by the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II.

The manna is a food historically defined as divine, announced by God with the promise made to Moses, to sustain the exiles for forty years. The expression ""manna descending from heaven"" in figurative art implies a connection between God and man.

In the Holy Scriptures, this sweet food that melts in the sun with a honey cake flavor has a mystical nutritional quality, connected to the divine and changes flavor depending on its consumption.

The manna is the sap extracted from the bark of some species of ash trees. Due to its uniqueness and rarity, manna has become a Slow Food presidium, and its harvesting is subject to regulations to ensure quality and certified provenance.

Manna: history and origins

The manna is an ancient biblical food and according to the sixteenth book of Exodus, its name derives from ""Mân Hu" which means ""what is that?"". This expression represents the amazement of the Jews upon seeing an unknown food rain down from heaven, sent by their God in the desert to feed them.

The Greeks and Romans referred to it as ""dew honey" or "secretion of the stars" due to its miraculous nature. Manna is derived from the ash tree and was once very widespread.

It was harvested in various regions of Italy such as Sicily, Calabria, Gargano, Beneventano, Molise, Lazio, in the woods of Tolfa and in the Maremma area of Tuscany. It was a family practice that was later replaced by the production of synthetic mannitol.

Manna: cultivation and benefits

What does the manna look like? Manna appears in the form of light and spongy stalactites and is a natural sweetener with a low content of glucose and fructose.

Today it is produced exclusively in Sicily in the territories of Castelbuono, Pollina, where the Museum of Manna is also located, Cefalù and surrounding areas. Manna is obtained from the ash tree, which, when incised with the "cutièddu â manna", allows cotton threads to flow attached to violet resin filaments, which solidify upon contact with air and sunlight, creating whitish stalactites.

The harvesting period occurs during the summer, around mid-July, when the ash tree reaches the right concentration of sugars for crystallization.

Manna is a sugary exudate mainly composed of mannite, organic acids, water, glucose, fructose, mucilages, resins, and nitrogen compounds. Its composition is very complex and heavily influenced by the area of origin, climate, the chemical-physical characteristics of the soil, the age of the plants, and seasonal conditions.

This product boasts numerous beneficial properties even in pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields. It is also used to relieve various issues, such as combating constipation or acting as a laxative (both in childhood and adulthood). It proves to be perfect as an emollient for sensitive skin, reducing wrinkles associated with aging.

Manna: uses and pairings in cooking

The culinary uses are varied. One of the main creations in the kitchen with manna is sweet bread, sweetened with the manna and made with flour, water, oil, milk, and yeast. It results in a very simple cake that embodies millennia of history and fascinating traditions.

In the 1980s, it was rediscovered in the field of baking, thanks to famous products like Mannetto, manna panettone, and various Christmas sweets, but it has also been used in creams and nougats.

It can be combined with dark chocolate, leveraging its ability to round out the natural acidity of cocoa. In some restaurants in Castelbuono, it has been included in the menu as an accompaniment to roasted black pig fillet coated in manna, almonds, and pistachios.

Another way to consume it to enhance its flavors and benefits is to create a pure solution, either as syrup or as a digestif bitter.