The symbol of the Easter holidays par excellence, the Colomba, from north to south, together with the Easter egg, is the protagonist of the Easter tables and lunches. The question every year is the same: which dove to choose?
And then the price. The common opinion is that choosing low-cost products must necessarily give up quality, but this is not always the case.
The Consumption Observatory arrives to help us with a study carried out by making a comparison between different products of the large-scale retail trade, including sweets from well-known companies, supermarket brands and discount stores and on the basis of the ministerial decree dated 22/07/2005 which regulates the ingredients to be used for the preparation of the dessert. The price of analyzed industrial doves went from 3.29 euros per kg up to about 12 euros.

What does the quality of a dove depend on?

As far as the denomination is concerned, there is a ministerial decree aimed at protecting the characteristics of this traditional dessert: according to the decree, the dove must be a soft pastry made with natural leavening. When tasted it must be soft, with the shape of the bubbles elongated, while in the upper part there must be a glaze based on egg white and sugar with almonds, at least 2%, and grains of sugar.

The ingredients, the first indicator

The ingredients are the first quality indicator. The dough of the dove must contain: wheat flour, sugar, whole class A chicken eggs or egg yolk (with an amount of yolk not less than 4% of the total), butterfat (minimum 16%), peel of candied citrus fruits (in a quantity not less than 15%), natural yeast and salt. To have the denomination of dove they are however allowed of the additional ingredients milk and derivatives, honey, cocoa butter, malt, sugars, other types of yeast, natural flavors, emulsifiers and two types of preservatives (sorbic acid and potassium sorbate).
For the icing instead the optional ingredients besides almonds are: armelline, hazelnuts or cashews, flour (of rice, corn or wheat), cocoa, sugars, starches, vegetable oils, natural flavors, emulsifiers and the two preservatives already mentioned above.
Here are the characteristics that a good dove must have

The list of ingredients, their quality and the percentages in which they are present in the dough;

The consistency of the dove, which must be soft and have a well elongated honeycomb

The leavening process: for the classic dove a long leavening (at least 8 hours) is required in a natural way

The quality of the crust, which instead must be crunchy, homogeneous, and adherent to the dough.

The price is not a parameter indicative of quality, because this depends on other logics (the reputation of the brand, the offers of the store, etc.).