"Pusties" ("Pasticiotti," a Utica, NY delicacy)

Wed Jun 28 15:32:05 UTC 2006

    I'm astounded to read that there's a food called "pusty," esp. the quote below:  "We especially loved the vanilla filled pusties, with  the delicately scented filling poised in texture between custard and pastry cream."  Maybe this is all a coincidence, but IIRC, "pusty" is a Greek term and refers to the female member of a male homosexual pair.  I think the English equivalent is "catcher."  About 15 years ago Reinhold Aman's extraordinary journal _Maledicta_ (hey, Rey, will there be another issue?) contained an article on Greek sexual terminology, and "pusty" appeared there.  Maybe Rey could furnish more details.

Gerald Cohen

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From: American Dialect Society on behalf of Bapopik at AOL.COM
Sent: Wed 6/28/2006 10:08 AM
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Subject: "Pusties" ("Pasticiotti," a Utica, NY delicacy)

PUSTIES--908 Google hits
PASTICIOTTI--1,230 Google hits
PASTICCIOTTI--514 Google hits
PASTICCCIOTI--13 Google hits
PASTICIOTI--3 Google hits
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I don't think that I've described "pusties" before. "Pusties" is not in the
OED. Not even "pasticiotti" or "pasticcioti" is in the revised OED (that did
the  letter "p").
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"Pusties" is not mentioned in DARE?
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Is everyone that miserable on food?
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(GOOGLE)
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_Florentine Pastry Shop - Utica, NY_
(http://roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=1343&RefID=1343)      Pusties are a beloved Utica pastry, and  are
known as such only in the Utica area. ... We especially loved  the vanilla
filled pusties, with the delicately ...
roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.  aspx?ReviewID=1343&RefID=1343 - 15k - _Cached_
(http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:oPntnuKFu-oJ:roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeu
p.aspx?ReviewID=1343&RefID=1343+pusties&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3&ie=UTF-8)  -
_Similar pages_
(http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&pwst=1&q=related:roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=1343&RefID=1343)
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_Roadfood.com_ (http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/PrintPreview.aspx?RefID=1343)
     Pusties, riggies, and hats. If those  words mean nothing to you, ...
Pusties are a beloved Utica  pastry, and are known as such only in the Utica
area. ...
www.roadfood.com/Reviews/PrintPreview.aspx?RefID=1343 - 10k  - _Cached_
(http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:fNvWZXieYL4J:www.roadfood.com/Reviews/PrintPre
view.aspx?RefID=1343+pusties&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=5&ie=UTF-8)  - _Similar
pages_
(http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&pwst=1&q=related:www.roadfood.com/Reviews/PrintPreview.aspx?RefID=1343)
[ _More results from www.roadfood.com_
(http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&pwst=1&q=+site:www.roadfood.com+pusties)   ]
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_http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/PrintPreview.aspx?RefID=1343_
(http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/PrintPreview.aspx?RefID=1343)
    Pusties, riggies, and hats. If those words mean  nothing to you, you're
not a Utica native. If that's the case, come to NY and  sample some classic
regional Italian-American food. Riggies refer to the Utica  fave chicken riggies,
aka rigatoni. Hats are the pasta known elsewhere as  orecchiette, often
served baked in tomato sauce. Pusties are the subject of this  write-up.

Pusties are a beloved Utica pastry, and are known as such only in the Utica
area. They are "officially" called pasticciotti, a single-serving Italian
custard filled tart. The usual fillings for the rich tart crust are chocolate,
vanilla, lemon, and Italian cheesecake. The Florentine specializes in these,
and  other, Italian pastries. We especially loved the vanilla filled pusties,
with  the delicately scented filling poised in texture between custard and
pastry  cream. The cannolis, too, were good.

There is a pleasant little room where the  pastries can be enjoyed with
Italian coffee, if you're not taking a box home.  And, we must not forget one of
the most amazing facts: these pusties go for 80  cents apiece! That is, unless
you'd like to spend 40 cents for day old pusties.  Incredible!

The Florentine is located on Bleecker Street, the classic old Italian
neighborhood in this once very Italian-American city. Today, Bleecker is an  amalgam
of many different cultures, but the Italian shops still predominate.
Florentine is one of the finest.

- Bruce Bilmes & Sue  Boyle, 2/4/2003
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_http://cnyeats.com/bbs/webbbs_config.pl/noframes/read/1110_
(http://cnyeats.com/bbs/webbbs_config.pl/noframes/read/1110)

In Response To: _Re: Pustichioti  (Pusties) _
(http://cnyeats.com/bbs/webbbs_config.pl/noframes/read/613)  (patsy  pirillo)

I found this recipe in the Our Lady of Pompei cookbook from Syracuse.
Pasticiotta
4 cups flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, pinch salt, l cup sugar, 2 medium eggs,
l/2 cup milk, 2 tsp. vanilla or lemon extract, 1 cup margarine or shortening.
Sift all dry ingredients and cut in margarine. Make a well and add 2 eggs,
flavoring and milk. Knead for 5 mins. Roll pastry dough as for pie crust and
fit into tart pans. Fill each tart pan half full of pudding and cover with top
crust. Seal edges and trim. Brush crusts with beaten egg yolks. Bake 400
degrees 20 to 30 mins. Sprinkle 10x sugar over tops.
Filling:
l quart milk, slightly warmed
6 heaping tablespoons cornstarch
3/4  cup sugar
3 or 4 egg yolks
l tsp. vanilla
l rounded tablespoon  butter
In top of double boiler mix sugar and cornstarch well. Beat egg  yolks
slightly with l/2 cup milk. Add rest of milk to sugar and cornstarch  mixture,
stirring well. Cooks on medium heat stirring constantly until mixture  starts to
boil and is thick. Remove from heat, cool slightly. Add l tsp.  vanilla and l
tablespoons butter. Stir until butter is melted.
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(NEWSPAPERARCHIVE)
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_Syracuse Herald Journal_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=3vaM+qTkZ6GKID/6NLMW2oRNZSbTcivUY2S9TCf4Qnu7W+5KGj6xtUIF+CsZYmrz)  _Monday,
March 03, 1997_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=pusties+AND+date:1997-03-03)  _Syracuse,_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=pusties+AND+cityid:28660+AND+stateid:67)  _New York_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=pusties+AND+stateid:67)   PUSTIES  all over the
United States for S48 an order (air PUSTIES are  baked in When we lived in
Utica we loved eating 'pastis or  PUSTIES' from the Florentine The name PUSTIES.
says  Scarfo, is short for pusticcioti. a small, pudding-filled

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     _Syracuse Herald-Journal_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=wSCs6S0EhDCKID/6NLMW2k2SnH01tYZLMVnZrGtJjnTVCfgF+4HftkIF+CsZYmrz)
_Saturday, October 10, 1981_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=pusties+AND+date:1981-10-10)  _Syracuse,_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=pusties+AND+cityid:28660+AND+stateid:67)  _New York_
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=pusties+AND+stateid:67)   PUSTIES
Canoli FOR Oven Fresh Home Style LARGE ITALIAN BREAD 22n.LOAF 93 Swift's

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