From North to South, a common vein of sweetness unites Italy’s multitude of different areas at Christmas time. This virtual competition to find the tastiest typical local pastry is full not only of delicious flavors but also of tradition and history.
We can begin our festive journey in the far North, where it is typical at this time of year to eat Zelten (or celteno) from Trentino. The origins of this traditional cake date back to the 1700s, the century in which a recipe was written that is now preserved in the library of Rovereto (TN). This rich Christmas cake is made from pine nuts, currants and raisins, almonds, tiny pieces of lemon rind, aniseed, candied citron, cinnamon, sugar and flour. The ingredients are the original ones, although some variants do exist with, for example, the addition of dried figs. Zelten is ideal for those mountainous zones where one needs to recoup one’s energy, perhaps after a day spent in the snow: this is the typical home-made pastry eaten by families all over Trentino and the Alto Adige.
Traveling eastwards we find another very famous Christmas cake, the Gubana from Friuli with its characteristic snail-like form, which is also eaten during the year on important family occasions. It origins are to be found in the area bordering with Slovenia and this confection seems almost to be a sweet symbol of possible peaceful co-existence between two different cultures. Already known at the time of the Romans, the Gubana’s fame has increased over the centuries. Two versions exist: a “country” one (Gubana friulana) and an “urban” one (Gubana giuliana). The more refined latter type in fact has a flaky pastry shell and also contains, apart from the recipe of the former (raisins drenched in grappa, grated chocolate, almonds, walnuts, orange and citron peels, figs, plums and pine nuts), spices and candied fruits.
Moving on down the country, we come across the Pan Speziale (also known as Certosino), the Christmas dessert of Bologna, a compact cake that can be kept for a long time, made with nuts and candied fruit. Its name probably derives from the “pharmacist” monks who invented it in the Middle Ages, using ingredients that were really very exotic for the time, such as cinnamon and nuts. This hypothesis is confirmed by the fact that it was indeed such monks at the Carthusian monastery of Bologna who developed the “business” of making these cakes, which became known as “certosino” in their honor. Ideally this cake should be matured for three months, so it should be prepared towards the end of September. It is said that in olden days huge examples of this cake were made and dispatched to the Vatican as a Christmas gift for the Pope.
Continuing our journey to discover Italy’s typical Christmas pastries we arrive in Basilicata, with its Chinulille. The particular feature of this specialty is in its presentation: they must be served covered in very runny honey. The basis for this recipe is ricotta cheese, which has to be flavored with cinnamon. The little bag-shaped sweets are then fried in peanut oil.
Just a short distance away we can enjoy Struffoli which, being the typical Christmas dessert of Naples, are Greek in origin. This dessert is made up of a large number of dough balls (made with flour, eggs, butter, sugar and flavorings) fried in oil and lard and, once they have cooled, rolled in warm honey. They are typically decorated with candied citron and other fruits as well as colored sprinkles (known as diavolilli or diavoletti).
Print