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Italy traditionally is a religious country where people love to celebrate days associated with different events from the Christan history. In addition to the nationwide festivals which punctuate the church year, there are the church ordinations and the popular village festivals which can be held on almost every pretext. All celebrations always give a good reason to locals cooking special confectionery. In the dark days of the past, simple bread constituted the traditional votive offering. Nowadays, this tradition echoed in cakes, pastry rings, sugar figures, almond confectionery as well as many other fairly gorgeous specialties which are reserved for special occasions.
Between Christmas and New Year the Italian bakeries and cake shops are busy flat out. One of the very popular specials is Cuccidatti di Natale. It is pastry rings made from yeast dough and stuffed with figs and almonds. Broad variety of traditional Christmas cookies is extremely popular throughout Southern Italy. They are often served in Sicily with freshly pressed prickly pear juice instead of grape must.
Once upon a time, cannoli were traditionally eaten at the carnival time. These fried rolls, stuffed with sweetened ricotta, vanilla cream or chocolate mixture were so popular that bars and bakeries nowadays sell them all year round.
The important ecclesiastical landmark in Italy is Easter, a holiday which is blank without sweet Easter cakes and lamb shaped cookies.
Sicilian Easter is accompanied with famous sugar replicas of the agnello pasquale. The sweet little cookies are made from pastry and marzipan or small lamb figures can be baked for Easter.
In Lombardia, Northern Italy, for example, pane con I̼va Рsmall loaves and rolls Рare usually eaten mainly at Easter.
In Tuscany, Central Italy, by contrast, the grape bread is made at home having a generous layer of red grapes in the middle and sprinkled over with sugar.
However, the traditional Easter dishes in all Italy provinces in the past and nowadays are Easter cakes with spinach cooked for lunch. Easter dinner is traditionally celebrated with lamb meals, and finally as the peak of culinaria festivities comes a delicious Cassata dessert.
Happy Easter!
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