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Cassata or Cassata siciliana is a traditional sweet from the areas of Palermo and Messina,〔(The Sicilian Cassata )〕 Sicily, Italy. Cassata may also refer to a Neapolitan ice cream containing candied or dried fruit and nuts. Cassata consists of round sponge cake moistened with fruit juices or liqueur and layered with ricotta cheese, candied peel, and a chocolate or vanilla filling similar to cannoli cream. It is covered with a shell of marzipan, pink and green pastel colored icing, and decorative designs. The cassata is topped with candied fruit depicting cherries and slices of citrus fruit characteristic of Sicily. ==Origin== It is claimed that the Sicilian word ''cassata'' did not derive from Arabic ''qashatah'' ("bowl"), as is often claimed, but from ''caseata'' ("cheese concoction"), according to John Dickie,〔John Dickie, ''Delizia! The Epic History of Italians and Their Food'' (New York, 2008) p. 25.〕 who observes that ''cassata'' did not even signify a dessert until the late 17th century and did not take on anything like its current striped green-and-white form until the 18th century. "Cassata" he finds, "is the subject of an invented tradition based on the claim that its roots lie in the Muslim Middle Ages. Many other local food traditions purport to be as old."〔Dickie 2008, p.30.〕 However, its Arab origins are generally supported. The Arabic name al-Qassāṭỉ (Arabic for 'cassata-maker') is first mentioned in Corleone in 1178 and cassata is believed to have been first made in its elementary form in Palermo during Muslim rule in the 10th century. The Arabic word ''qas'ah'', from which cassata is generally believed to derive, refers to the bowl that is used to shape the cake. ==Variations== Unlike the round, traditional shape some cassata are made in the form of a rectangle, square, or box. It may be noted that the word "box" in Italian is ''cassa'', although it is unlikely that the word ''cassata'' originated from this term. When a cassata is made, layers of gelato (Italian ice cream) can be substituted for the layers of cheese, producing a dessert similar to an ice cream cake. The version of the recipe followed in Messina is less sweet than the one used in Palermo. ''Cassata Catanese'', as it is often prepared in the Sicilian province of Catania, is made similar to a pie, containing a top and bottom crust, filled with ricotta, and baked in the oven. The ''Cassatella di Sant'Agata'' (''pl.'' cassatelle)—colloquially named Minni di Vergini, meaning "virgin breasts"—is a similar dessert, but made in a smaller, personal-serving size, with a candied cherry on top, and often a specifically green-coloured marzipan. It is typically made in Catania for the festival of Saint Agatha. The allusion to the female breast relates the specific torture Saint Agatha faced as a Catholic martyr. "Cassata" can also refer to a flavor of ice-cream inspired by the sweet. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「cassata」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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