Happy 100th Birthday To Little Italy’s “Feast Of San Gennaro!”
A very happy “100” to this incredible festival going on in New York’s Little Italy neighborhood – I will explain the history and of course, the food!
What a way to celebrate a centennial birthday: with Zeppoles, braciole, sausage and peppers, cannolis and much more – the annual “Feast Of San Gennaro” just got underway – so let’s get eating!
Yes, you can get a Cannoli all year long here – Cannoli are Sicilian pastries – tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough that are filled with a sweet, creamy filling containing ricotta—a staple of Sicilian cuisine.
You know that the word “cannoli” is forever cemented in movie history thanks to this one scene from “The Godfather”:
“Leave The Gun – Take The Cannoli!”
Clemenza had good taste and would feel right at home on New York’s Mulberry Street, where the festival takes place every year!
I got the chance to check it out yesterday – the first day underway – and of course to eat some great food as well! Here’s an idea of what you walk by – and smell too!
You see, while the streets are lined for blocks with Italian restaurant after Italian restaurant, you come to the Feast of San Gennaro to sample food sold out of carts that take over the middle of the street!
Time For Some Zeppoles!
You can find these stands everywhere, and I had to see one in action – here’s a video showing the Zeppoles being made – Zeppoles are deep-fried dough balls dusted with powdered sugar:
There is so much to enjoy here – like Umberto’s, where my hometown roots came back when I saw this sign:
Fried Seafood!
Yes, I grew up on seafood in Seattle, so when I saw this sign what was I to do? Of course, I ordered fried shrimp and calamari and they was delicious!
Check out how these are served on the street:
Yes, plump fried shrimp and calamari swimming in a delicious and slightly spicy sauce filled me up…so I had to buy the festival’s signature dish to take home – and that meant it was time to get in line:
Time For Sausage And Peppers!
I waited in line along with all of the other people for about ten minutes as the guys behind the counter made sandwich after sandwich after sandwich:
The smell at the feast is truly intoxicating: and you can get closeup to see the food being prepared for you:
The wait was worth it as the smell was incredible! I got a sweet sausage with peppers and onions, and here’s how it came out:
So delicious! In fact, I got one to take home – I unpacked it, warmed it up a bit and then dug in – here’s my taste test:
I have been to this festival 4 years in a row now, and there was one other item I taste tested at home as well:
Deep-Fried Oreos!
Yes, while there’s no way they are Italian in origin, they were everywhere and here’s what they looked like in a bag:
I took the bag home and sat down to try them for the first time – here you go:
Back to the festival: yes, these are sweet potatoes, unique spiraled on a stick – check it out!
All this way food aside, I wanted to note that importance of the Feast Of San Gennaro from a religious point of view as well.
The Feast celebrates the life of San Gennaro of Naples who was Bishop of Benevento, Italy and was martyred in 305AD.
Figli di San Gennaro actively supports over 30 great charities and organizations, and I pinned some money on the display as an offering – as did many others as well.
This festival is so much fun: great food, everyone in an upbeat mood, a nice remembrance – New York’s annual celebration has it all!
I love Italian food, and eat regularly in New York’s Little Italy neighborhood – if I’m not making dishes like this at home:
New York’s iconic Rao’s restaurant has the best meatballs in the city – and so I tried to make them at home!
Click here to see the recipe for their meatballs and marinara sauce and see how I did!
My first foray into Italian food was with the help of The Sopranos – and Stanley Tucci!
I made traditional “Sunday Gravy!”
Click here for a traditional Italian “Sunday Gravy” recipe that came with some strong advice from the actor!
And since I led with a clip from “The Godfather” – my favorite film of all time – remember when Alex and I visited the film’s original locations in Sicily?
That included the church where Michael Corleone was married – leading to a wild ride back down to the town – watch as we careen down the hill – I do manage to get a shot of the church as we speed down the narrow cobblestone path!
Yes, we explored several of the iconic locations and you can see them all by clicking here:
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Categories: Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Eat This!, Food, Food Pictures, Food Travel, New York restaurants, Recipes, Travel, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
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