Manna and well-being: 5 ways of using it to benefit your body, inside and out.
At the risk of sounding too full of ourselves, we can easily say that manna is a truly Sicilian excellence, a source of pride exclusive to the territory of the Madonie Park. Also known as the white gold of Sicily, it's a substance of many and more beneficial properties, recognised in various fields. Since it's so little known by the general public however, we want to tell you a bit more about it, and explain why it's so precious.
The "cannoli di manna", manna in its purest form
But first, an admission: despite being exclusive to the Sicilian territory (at least till now), manna wasn't created or invented here. You probably heard at least once the saying "manna from heaven" that's mentioned in the Bible. Religious reference aside, the expression is pretty common and it's used to refer to something especially positive or fortunate. In other words, a true blessing.
Well, this definition is not that far from the truth. Manna is a natural sap extracted from ash trees. It has a number of beneficial properties and it is employed in many fields: pharmaceutical, food or cosmetic.
If you wish to know more, follow us in finding out 5 ways of using manna that can benefit your body, inside and out.
- In its raw state, manna can simply be eaten as it is directly extracted from the ash tree trunk. During the summer, the trunk is cut and the sap pours out along a thread, forming a long cylinder. When it becomes solid, this cylinder is cut into smaller pieces, the "cannoli di manna", considered the purest form of manna, because they're free of impurities. Sweet to the tongue, you can simply eat it as it is (it's crunchy), or you can dissolve it in a hot beverage.
- Manna is also used in the confectionery industry. The Fiasconaro company for instance, uses it to make their famous panettoni, for the frosting or for spreadable creams.
- Another use of manna comes from the cosmetic field. Manna has extraordinary softening and smoothing properties and when combined with other substances (like aloe) makes the skin soft and glowing. Here on Putia.eu you'll find manna based hand soaps and bath soaps.
- Talking about self-care, it's worth mentioning the manna based shaving products. The shaving soap and aftershave are part of a men's shaving collection and possess all the smoothing properties of manna together with its intense scent.
Aftershave Manna di Sicilia
- Finally, manna is greatly employed in the pharmaceutical field. Overall, it's a substance that purifies the organism, it works as a natural detox, it frees you from excessive fat and it's often used as a base for laxatives and purgatives, because it has no side effects. If regularly consumed, it helps digestion and keeping the organism toxins-free.
At this point, you might easily wonder: if manna is really such a great product, if it benefits your body so much, if it's basically a Mecca for people into natural remedies, why don't more people know about it? Why isn't it a hit?
The answer is the same reason that makes it so precious: the difficulty of its extraction and the care devoted to making sure its quality is always excellent. Manna is not easy to obtain, there are a great number of climatic conditions that need to be met in order to get the best quality. Right now, these conditions exist only in the Madonie Park, in the territories of Castelbuono and Pollina. The Consorzio Manna Madonita is the organisation that manages its production and promotion, locally and beyond.
We might not have invented it then, but so far manna remains still one of our Sicilian prides, to be protected and valued.
The Bible wasn't that far from the truth really: manna is a blessing.
© Manna photo courtesy: Nature Explorers Sicily