The history of cat socks begins with the classic once upon a time… a “rezdora” from Modena who, in the context of a vernacular legend, was preparing polenta in a cauldron. In another pot, our rezdora (this is what Modena calls the person who holds ancient knowledge that he transmits through culture and the art of cooking) was also cooking beans on a wood stove. When it was time to bring the legumes to the table, she would stumble upon her cat crouching on the floor. In this way, the beans would have ended up in the polenta pot: the rezdora, in order not to make her family skip dinner, would have thus invented the cat socks. The cat, in fact, terrified by this tumult, would have run away and hence the name of the new recipe, which chases cats away.
Calzagatti, the poor cuisine of Modena
It may be because of this bizarre name, or because in times of almost austerity we are moving closer to simple, nutritious and economical recipes, but stockings seem to enjoy more attention lately. They bring together the two emblematic ingredients of poor cuisine: beans and polenta, which together enrich each other. The optional final frying transforms the dish into a truly delicious snack.
From a symbolic dish of the gastronomy of Modena and Reggio in the process of becoming extinct, this recipe – especially in the snack version, to meet today’s lifestyles – is returning to occupy the menus of village festivals, restaurants, blogs and mentions in television programs . Most of the stockings that you will find around involve the use of bacon or lard in the sautéed beans and lard as fat for frying, but the homemade ones can be equally delicious even in a vegan version, without meat and fried in the vegetable oil.
The dish is called in different ways, depending on the areas of the Modena province: damnbut also daddy, ciribusla or bagia. It also comes in different variations, like any traditional dish. There are those who add a little cream and parmesan to the polenta or those who, instead of corn flour, use chestnut flour.
They are consumed without cutlery, as an aperitif, paired with a good ketchup sauce and a glass of Lambrusco di Sorbara. Or served on a plate, in the company of a soft cheese, as at Luca Marchini’s Trattoria Pomposa, in Modena, where the calzagatti are placed on quenelles of ricotta.
