The fried Zeppole di San Guiseppi will be going fast today at the Scialo Bros. Bakery on Atwells Avenue; it’s St. Joseph’s Day. Joseph was the husband of Mary; it is not clear how he became associated with baked goods. He is the patron saint of “happy death” so that may be it. The origin of the word zeppole, or zippula in Sicilian, comes from the Arabic zalabiyya meaning fried soft dough.
We are offering baked yellow cream & ricotta zeppole the entire month of March. Fried Zeppole will be available on the 19th! Buona Festa!
Real estate agents sometimes use statues of St. Joseph to facilitate sales. A statue buried upside-down will help you sell even the most difficult property. There is considerable controversy regarding whether he should face the house or face the street. And some say that if you don’t have a yard you can plant him in a flower pot, but that’s just ridiculous. Zillow has tips:±
The tradition has been going on for at least several hundred years. St. Joseph was the earthly father of Jesus and a carpenter. But it’s not entirely clear how the practice of burying St. Joseph statues started. One tale suggests that nuns during the Middle Ages buried a St. Joseph medal and asked the saint to help them find land for a convent. Some believe German carpenters started the tradition centuries later by burying St. Joseph statues in the foundations of homes they built.
Scialo Bros Bakery open till 5pm, St. Joseph’s Day, Sunday, March 19, 257 Atwells Avenue, (directions)
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