36. Lane of San Cesareo

Le Lane is a type of fresh pasta that is the traditional dish of San Cesareo, a charming little town situated on the slopes of the Colli Albani, along the Via Casilina. It is likely that the name “Lane” derives from a linguistic corruption of the Latin term ‘laganum’, used by the poet Horace (and later also by Apicius in *De Re Coquinaria*), who in his sixth Satire describes a meal consisting of ‘porri et ciceris laganique’ – that is, leeks, chickpeas and lagani – which, according to some scholars, can be traced back to fritters or an oven-baked pasta similar to modern lagane. What is certain is that, according to tradition, the preparation of this type of maltagliati is thought to date back to the early nineteenth century, when the lands of San Cesareo were owned by great noble families such as the Rospigliosi Pallavicini, for whom numerous peasant families worked. It was the wives of these farm labourers, who were obliged to live on Colle Marcelli in semi-seasonal accommodation (such as wooden and straw huts), who devised this simple pasta dish to be eaten during frugal family dinners. Since then, the recipe – passed down from generation to generation – has been made with the same simple ingredients: wholemeal soft wheat flour, eggs, salt and water. Kneaded by hand, the dough is rolled out on a pastry board, then left to dry on suspended wooden sticks. Once dry, the dough is folded over itself and then cut by hand into triangular shapes. ‘Le Lane’ are traditionally served with a tasty salt cod sauce.

In San Cesareo, Tiziana and Elisabetta Ronzani passionately pursue the art of making fresh pasta. Among the specialities of their workshop are Lane: 'a poor pasta,' says Elisabetta, 'and as my grandmother used to say, simple to make'. The old recipe called for the use of coarse flour, but today the most refined flour is used in the pasta factory. The dough, says Elisabetta, involves the use of only 3 eggs per 1 kg of flour, so kneading is hard work, requiring a certain physical strength. The other skill is manual, in the somewhat irregular and crooked cut. According to Elisabetta, the name may derive from the shape that resembles wool. "In the past, people used to unpack mattresses to retrieve the wool. This was stripped off, torn and then placed in the sun,' Elisabetta continues, 'and wool is just like that: irregular, coarse and rough. The traditional condiment with which they are served is a simple sauce made with salt cod, freshly flecked with tomato. "Today in San Cesareo, we are the only ones to prepare the lane, which we sell fresh, during village festivals and feasts, or weekly to housewives who can bring them to the table after preparing the sauce with the cod'. Elisabetta concludes: 'We decided to take the path of De. Co. recognition to protect one of our food excellence. Wool is simple and good, and the simple things of our tradition must be protected'.