In Naples there is no Easter without pastiera, the sweet pastry with a soft and intoxicating filling. His recipe was the most sought after on Google in 2018, so much so that it has now been cleared through customs and can be found all year round. But as the festival approaches, the aroma intensifies in the alleys of the city. Cooked wheat, ricotta, candied fruit and orange flower water, these are the main ingredients. Housewives usually set to work on Good Thursday or Friday, to give time to the flavors to blend and reach perfection, served as a slice (or several slices) on Easter Sunday. In time they were born different variations, some of which made the purists cry out, like the addition of custard in the filling or the use of buffalo ricotta. As with any traditional dessert, even the pastiera, each family has its own recipe, which is handed down from generation to generation and the home-made one usually remains unbeatable. But for those who do not have a grandmother, a mother or a Neapolitan doc relative, it might be useful to know where to buy the pastiera in Naples.

Scaturchio pastiera, an institution in Naples

Scaturchio is an institution. The reason is one: the sweets that come from the laboratory in Piazza San Domenico Maggiore, in the heart of Spaccanapoli, manage to preserve that I don't know what home-made which makes them authentic, both in flavor and appearance. This obviously also applies to the pastiera. The traditional recipe is executed to the letter, except for ricotta. In fact, a small part of the vaccine is added to the sheep's one, «to balance consistency and flavor, they specify from the back. The short pastry is made with lard, the wheat is cooked with a pinch of salt. These ingredients are then added sugar, whole eggs, candied fruit (cubes of orange, cedar and pumpkin) and a very small quantity of neroli, the precious essential oil produced by the distillation of bitter orange flowers. The secret of Scaturchio pastiera is caramelization: the cake is left five minutes longer in the oven at low temperature, for "Make them shed tears", the drop of caramel, a master's touch. (Piazza San Domenico Maggiore, 19 – Naples)

Gran Caffè Pasticceria Santoro, the best in Vomero

Still a historical pastry shop, this time at Vomero. To found it, in 1926, Ferdinando Santoro who, over the years, transmitted his secrets and his knowledge to his son-in-law, Massimo Giordano. It is he who today guards the precious cookbook written by Don Ferdinando and it is always he who, proof after trial, has perfected the doses and given form to the ancient traditional Neapolitan sweets, including of course the pastiera. Tall and golden. Little sugar. A mirror when it comes out of the oven. «The ricotta is more fat, the more the pastiera is good. This is the rule of Massimo, who from time to time chooses between vaccine or sheep's (never mix!) Only after a personal taste. The secret of its filling is the "maturation" of fresh cheese in sugar. Lard in pastry, wheat cooked in the laboratory and a mix of neroli and millefiori to perfume it. Each step is followed personally, from the selection of the raw materials to the realization. And the results are there for all to see. (Via Simone Martini, 113 – Naples)

With Bellavia's Neapolitan pastiera you can be on the safe side

Bellavia is another of the historic pastry shops of Naples. Founded in 1925 by the Sicilian Antonio, it was his son Vincenzo who made the family name great. Today at the helm is the third generation. With time, the Bellavia have imposed themselves for the goodness of their homemade desserts and today they count six locations, one of which at Capodichino airport and one in Rome. Pastiera is one of the leading products. Also in this case it is the tradition to command and the family recipe to guide the new generation. (Headquarters in Piazza Muzii, 27 – Naples)

Hearts of sfogliatella: classic, cold and … Vesuviella

The pastry is very close to the Central Station. Perfect for those who are leaving and want to take home a sweet memory of Naples. Tradition and innovation are the ingredients of the success of Antonio Ferrieri, creator, among other things, of the savory puffs. A project born in 1987 and which translates into a showcase where typical sweets coexist alongside their reinterpretations. Just like the pastiera. Here, in fact, in addition to the classic, there is also the Vesuviella, one puff pastry in the shape of Vesuvius stuffed with a filling to the taste of pastiera. Then there is the cold version, almost one cheesecake, with the pastry as a base and one mousse made with the ingredients of the pastiera. And finally, the typical sfogliatella always taste pastiera. The filling of the classic is made with wheat, cinnamon, ricotta campana, candied orange and natural aromas. (Corso Novara, 1E – Naples)

Pasticceria Di Costanzo, the inspiration brought back to its origins

Mario Di Costanzo is a whimsical pastry chef from Naples, who became famous throughout Italy after taking part in the Best Bakery TV program. His creations are a mix of Neapolitan flavors and French aesthetics. For the pastiera it takes inspiration from tradition, in an almost radical manner. No artificial flavors, is his golden rule. Which translated means to perfume the filling starting from the prolonged cooking of the wheat together with the lemon and orange peel and with the addition of cinnamon and vanilla bean. No neroli, just a memory of millefiori water. The better the raw material, the better the pastiera. This is the second precept. Great attention is given to the selection of ricotta cheese. He is for the vaccine and sheep blend, with the delicate taste of the first that goes to dampen the aroma of the second, more fat instead. The result is one light filling as a mousse, with a delicate flavor. (Piazza Cavour, 133 – Naples)

Ancient pastry Fiore, a classic of the Spanish Quarter

If you are in the Spanish Quarter and ask where you can buy a good Neapolitan pastiera, the answer, 90% of the time, is at Antica Pasticceria Fiore: the showcase, at No. 164 of Vico Speranzella, is not very conspicuous, the place not very bright, the Fiore are not given air. To make it welcoming, the aroma of caramelized sugar and melted butter. Indeed, the laboratory is adjacent to the shop. Today, at the wheel, there is the third generation. Behind the counter Susy, concentrated with a smile. He is preparing a tray of Via col vento, typical Neapolitan sweets made with choux pastry and stuffed with nutella or white chocolate. The showcase also shows the pastiere, made according to tradition, following the recipe of grandfather Gaetano. The style is felt, is the homemade style, in the positive sense of the term. Excellent value for money. "Better to order it," suggests Susy, especially at Easter. (Vico Speranzella, 164 – Naples)

At Mennella's the angel hair pasta

The Mennella pastry, renowned for the goodness of its 100% natural ice cream, also has a vast repertoire of typical Neapolitan desserts. Among these there is obviously also the pastiera. In addition to classic version, the Torre del Greco family proposes the Angel Hair Pasteera, a typical product of the Vesuvian countries: the recipe foresees, instead of the more common grain, the use of the "angel hair" pasta format, a name that evokes lightness, a paste with a delicate texture to the touch and the palate. It is to this main ingredient that fresh cream, sugar, candied citron worked locally and the natural aromas of the Amalfi Coast are added. The scent is given by the neroli bigarade and the Ceylon cinnamon. (Via Carducci, 50 – Naples)

The Moccia recipe with buffalo ricotta

In Naples, Moccia's pizzas are an institution. But the pasta maker is no less so. Here it has been produced since 1936, along with a whole series of other typical Neapolitan sweets. That of Moccia, however, is one "particular" pastiera, why instead of sheep ricotta, the buffalo one is used here. A variant that has made people scream in scandal for a long time, but that lately is starting to be accepted, even by the most skeptical. According to the maître pâtissier of Moccia that of buffalo is a type of richer and more creamy ricotta than sheep's or cow's ricotta, and mixed with wheat, lets the perfume of neroli leak out better. Sooner or later it must be tried to believe. During Easter, it is best to book it four or five days before to be sure of finding it. (Via Posillipo, 20 – Naples)