The case of Saint Joseph’s bread expresses the resilience tied to tradition: it is made regularly—every Tuesday—not just for the feast day of the Patriarch, March 19th. Typically, demand decreases during the warmer months, as the dough tends to dry out more quickly in the heat.

The bread is made from durum wheat flour, traditionally shaped into a form known as cucciddatu. The dough is made with a reduced amount of water to achieve the proper consistency for the knife-cut shaping process. In Poggioreale, tradition dictates that the bread must not contain fennel seeds.

As for the shapes, in addition to the standard cucciddati, there are wheel-shaped loaves and the so-called pititti—smaller breads weighing about 250 grams, which are donated and shared communally among the devotees.

Other forms are crafted specifically for decorative purposes on the altar. These include panareddi, which are placed on laurel leaves, as well as bread shaped like crosses, staffs, and palms.

 

This element has been included in the Register of Intangible Heritage of local interest of the Municipality of Poggioreale, as part of Intervention 4: “Activation of the Observatory on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Territory through the application of the REIL methodology – Register of Intangible Heritage of Local Interest”, within the “Progetto di rigenerazione Poggioreale, vecchio e nuovo centro” project, funded by the NRRP (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), Mission: Digitalisation, innovation, competitiveness, culture and tourism, Component: Tourism and culture 4.0, Investment 2.1 “Attractiveness of villages.” CUP: E44H22000040006.