Departures of note

Leonarda Cianciulli said she threw the pieces into a pot, added seven kilograms of caustic soda, stirred until the pieces dissolved into a thick dark mush, poured the mixture into several buckets and emptied it into a nearby septic tank.

She said she waited for the blood in a basin to coagulate, dried it in an oven, ground it and mixed it with flour, sugar, chocolate, milk, eggs and margarine, kneaded the mixture, baked many crunchy tea cakes and served them to visiting ladies, while she and Giuseppe also ate them.