Easter - Twenty typical sweets region by region
In this blog we talk to you about the great Italian tradition. A vast wealth of tastes, fascinating stories and a long list of surprising delights. The theme is Easter and the typical sweets that each region of our country dedicates to this occasion. Colomba and chocolate eggs aside, obviously.
From North to South we share with you our itinerant journey of the palate. The list of specialties is very long, we limited ourselves to choosing a typical dessert for each region.
Trentino-Alto Adige - CORONA
The recipe is jealously guarded in every family and the composition varies according to local tradition. It is a braided donut with a delicate flavor that is decorated with colored hard-boiled eggs.
Aosta Valley – MECULIN DI COGNE
Compact sweet pan loaf, with a consistency similar to panettone. Its surface is made shiny by a honey glaze and the ingredients include milk, butter, flour, sugar, cream, eggs, raisins and lemon peel.
Lombardy - STAY
Sweet focaccia which traditionally appears on the table on Palm Sunday. La Resta is a specialty of the Lake Como area very similar to panettone and which requires three doughs. It is prepared with natural yeast, flour, sugar, eggs, sultanas, butter, candied orange and citron.
Piedmont – POPE'S SALAMI
Typical Easter dessert from the Alessandria area, simple but spectacular. Its shape is reminiscent of that of a salami, even with the presence of a string to simulate the tying of the sausage and a sprinkling of icing sugar to recreate the effect of the typical white mould.
It is made of a chocolate mixture to which pieces of biscuits and hazelnuts are added to reproduce the fat of the salami.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia – PINZA TRIESTINA
We are between the provinces of Trieste and Gorizia. Sweet leavened bread, round in shape and citrus flavor with the characteristic three cuts on the surface.
Veneto – EASTER FUGASSA
Classic naturally leavened Easter sweet bread typical of the entire Veneto region. It was born as a simple dessert made from bread dough, enriched with butter, eggs and sugar.
Liguria - LENT MARZAPANS
Since the Middle Ages, Genoese cake based on almond paste has been prepared in Genoa. As time passed, this cake transformed into small pastries, topped with chocolate, vanilla and lemon icing.
Emilia-Romagna – TAGLIATELLE CAKE
Traditional Easter dessert from the provinces of Modena and Ferrara. The name of this atypical dessert perfectly marries the combination of sweet and savory. The classic egg tagliatelle alternated with a filling rich in almonds and candied fruit. Marvelous!
Tuscany - PASIMATA
Typical dessert from the province of Lucca, sweet bread that is traditionally eaten during Lent and blessed in church on Easter Sunday. In Garfagnana a version is prepared whose mixture includes eggs, raisins, grated lemon and orange peel.
Marche - SWEET EASTER LAMB
Typical of the entire Marche tradition is sweet lamb: a shortcrust pastry shell, shaped in the shape of a lamb, filled with chocolate, eggs, chopped almonds, sugar and candied fruit. Icing of icing sugar and egg whites whipped until stiff or with chocolate decorating the surface.
Umbria – CIARAMICOLA
Typical dessert from the province of Perugia, it is a donut-shaped cake, red in color with white icing and colored sugared almonds. The crossed strips of dough are reminiscent of a cross and therefore Easter and the colors that appear in this dessert refer to the districts and the coat of arms of Perugia.
Traditionally, the ciaramicola was given as a gift by girlfriends to lovers on Easter day.
Lazio – PIGNA PASQUALE
Delicious glazed donut that is prepared the week before Easter.
There are different variations of this Easter dessert: flavored with anise or with a rum liqueur or decorated with candied orange.
Abruzzo - PUPE AND HORSES
Beautiful name for this traditional Easter dessert from Abruzzo. These are biscuits in the shape of a girl and a horse decorated with royal icing and granulated sugar and given to children for Easter.
Also in this case, there are different variations both in terms of decoration and the ingredients of the dough.
Molise - COCOROZZO
Typical Easter dessert from Agnone, in the province of Isernia. It is characterized by a dough flavored with anise seeds and decorated with icing sugar.
It can be made in different shapes and is filled with black cherry jam, chocolate cream or lemon cream.
Campania – SWEET CASATIELLO
Obviously, the typical Campania dessert par excellence could not be missing from this list: the pastiera!
However, we opted for a lesser-known dessert, the sweet version of casatiello, a typical savory pie from Campania which is prepared mainly in the province of Caserta. The ingredients are, in addition to the classic eggs and lard, sugar, icing and the typical Campania sweets "diavulilli", the same ones used in the struffoli recipe.
Puglia - PUGLIAN PASTATELLE
Among the traditional Apulian Easter desserts we must remember the "pastatelle", also called "bocconotti". It is a very simple but very tasty recipe: the inside of the pasta is filled with different types of compote, including the typical cherry one.
Basilicata - IL FALAONE
This typical dessert is nothing more than a sort of "bundle" made with ricotta.
Ricotta is certainly the most used cheese in Southern Italian dessert recipes. Why this particular cheese? There are two hypotheses.
The first concerns a sort of transfiguration of the votive offerings of milk and honey, characteristic of ancient Christian ceremonies. The second could be traced back to the sacrifice par excellence of Easter: that of the lamb which is the typical savory dish of Easter. With the sacrifice of the lambs, the sheep rich in milk are left without puppies to feed. Hence the use of their milk, which should not be wasted and always reused to feed people.
Calabria - PICCILLATO
The “piccillato” is a dessert with a very simple recipe based on flour, eggs, sugar and lard or butter.
According to tradition, an odd number of whole eggs complete with shells must be inserted inside this dessert. Generally it is prepared the day before Easter.
Sicily - FAVARA EASTER LAMB
Easter lamb is a dessert made of pistachio paste covered with almond paste typical of the Agrigento municipality of Favara and richly decorated.
Sardinia - PARDULAS
Small baskets of pastry with protrusions around the circumference, with an exquisite contrast between the sweet aromas and the savory flavor of Sardinian pecorino or ricotta.
