Tag: Regional

Regional Christmas sweets – Italian Cuisine – Italian Cuisine

Regional Christmas sweets - Italian Cuisine


We take you from Valle d'Aosta to Sicily to discover the traditional recipes of typical sweets for the holidays, from pandolce to cannoli. For an all-Italian Christmas

Neapolitan Christmas sweets, Sicilian Christmas sweets, Apulian Christmas sweets, and so on for all the regions of Italy passing through Valle d'Aosta at the Tuscany passing by Marche up to Basilicata – without forgetting the Molise, naturally. From struffoli to cannoli, from panforte to the pangiallo, from panettone to pandoro, our 20 regions give us 20 truly amazing traditional recipes for the festive table.

During the holidays, each region produces its own specialty, in a triumph of spices, dried fruit, honey and sparkling candied fruit. Let it be there Christmas Eve or lunch, the snack of Saint Stephen or the new Year's Eve dinner, bringing a regional dessert to the table always has a certain effect, reminding each of the guests of their roots, where we come from. And then of course there are those who make the recipe differently or remember Grandma's special touch, and so on – but it doesn't matter, what matters is being together and enjoying a sweet moment with a full heart.

20 recipes of 20 regional desserts

Abruzzo

parrozzo: The parrozzo was created in 1920 by a pastry chef from Pescara as a sweet version of the "rough bread" of corn. Gabriele D'Annunzio liked it a lot, who invented the name.

Basilicata

Calzoncelli: They are prepared for Christmas throughout Basilicata, especially in the province of Salerno, in Sannio Beneventano and in Irpinia. They are also called "Christmas pasticelle".

Calabria

Petrali: Petrali, also called chinuliji or chjinuli in dialect depending on the place, are Christmas sweets typical of Reggio Calabria and its province.

Campania

Struffoli: Delicious fried sweets of Neapolitan origin that are prepared for the Christmas holidays, but also for Carnival. These little greedy spheres are like cherries, one leads to another!

Emilia Romagna

Carthusian of Bologna: 5 Chinese spices, honey, almonds, pine nuts, dark chocolate and candied fruit: the Certosino di Bologna is the typical dessert during the Holidays. It also requires ammonia for food.

Friuli Venezia Giulia

Potiza: It is a delicious crown of leavened dough stuffed with a very rich filling based on chocolate, nuts, butter and breadcrumbs.

Lazio

Pangiallo: The pangiallo has very ancient origins in imperial Rome, it has become a typical Lazio dessert for the holidays, which is usually prepared on the day of the Winter Solstice as a good omen.

Liguria

Genoa Cake: It owes its name to the origins in the foundation of the Republic of Genoa, the Genoese pandolce is a symbol of the region and its city. Preferred during the holidays, it is still consumed all year round.

Lombardy

Artisan panettone: The famous "Pan del Toni" has conquered all of Italy and beyond. As per tradition, it is enriched with creams or fillings. Here is an idea for the covering: melt 120 g of white chocolate and add 60 g of hot milk; emulsify with an immersion blender, adding 20 g of butter. Pour over the panettone.

Marche

Seahorses of Apiro: They are the typical sweets of the Marche Christmas tradition with grape must, a poor recipe of peasant origins.

Molise

Mostaccioli from Molise: Mostaccioli are typical Christmas sweets from the center-south, which take a different recipe for each region. In Molise, tradition requires that mostaccioli are very sweet pieces of pasta derived from mustaceus, the ancient wedding focaccia.

Piedmont

Bonet: Among the Piedmontese sweets it is the most famous and has very ancient origins. Its name in Piedmontese dialect means "hat": it seems that it was so called precisely because the truncated cone mold into which it was poured resembles the shape of a cap (although today the custom of preparing it in square molds has become increasingly widespread).

Puglia

Cartellate: Cartellate, in Apulian “carteddate”, are usually prepared in a sweet version, garnished with a sauce based on vincotto, honey and spices. Originally from Puglia, they are also widespread in Basilicata and Calabria.

Sardinia

Papassini: Also called pabassinos or papassinos depending on the area, they are large biscuits prepared with a dough of shortcrust pastry, raisins, almonds, walnuts, grated lemon peel, honey. Their name comes from papassa or pabassa, which is the sultanas of which they are rich.

Sicily

Cannoli: Together with the cassata, cannoli are a traditional specialty of Sicilian pastry. The original ones are filled with ricotta cream but, once ready, the cannoli can also be filled with fruit or chocolate mousse.

Tuscany

panforte: The great father of Italian cuisine Pellegrino Artusi recommends Tuscan panforte for Christmas lunch in his work Science in the kitchen (1891)

Trentino Alto Adige

Zelten: Dried fruit and candied fruit are the basis of this typical dessert of the South Tyrolean tradition. Very easy and quick to prepare, it is a perfect choice for the holidays.

Umbria

Umbrian Torciglione: Also known as the "Umbrian snake" due to its circular shape, it is the typical dessert made with almonds, sugar and egg whites. Back on the tables also at Easter.

Valle d'Aosta

Lou mécoulen (or lou meculin): Originally from Cogne, it is the sweet Aosta Valley bread considered by many to be the ancestor of panettone.

Veneto

Artisan Pandoro: Typical Christmas cake from Verona, it has conquered all of Italy with its simple fragrance. The name derives from the Venetian dialect "pan de oro" and was served on the tables together with nadalin.

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What are the most famous Italian regional caciotte – Italian Cuisine


Overview of the most famous and prized caciottas in Italy, from the Tuscan cow's milk to the Casciotta DOP of Urbino

There caciotta, soft cheese that can be seasoned or semi-seasoned and made with any type of milk, it has a cylindrical shape and an unmistakable taste. The origin of this dairy product is quite recent. Initially it was made mostly with sheep's milk and during the colder months, to then be prepared with different types of milk, depending on the region. This cheese was invented above all as an alternative to pecorino, with the aim of creating a product that was sweeter and more delicate, but also faster and easier to prepare. In the kitchen it can be served as table cheese, eaten fresh in appetizers based on vegetables or fresh and dried fruit, or used cooked as delicious ingredient of savory pies, tartlets and patties.

In Italy there are many types of caciotta, including the drowned, colored and flavored specialties. Among the many regional varieties however, there are some particularly renowned ones, which stand out for their originality and for the excellence of quality. Let's find out the most important.

Guide to the most famous caciottas in Italy

Among the many Italian caciottas made from cow's, sheep's, goat's or buffalo's milk or mixed milk, the most popular ones are scattered throughout the country and have different characteristics.
The best known is the Tuscan caciotta, made with a mixture of pasteurized cow's milk (60-90%) and sheep's milk. It has a sweet taste and a soft paste and, locally, it is eaten mostly fresh, often accompanied with typical salami. Also noteworthy is the Tuscan sheep caciotta cheese PAT, which has been assigned the recognition of Traditional Agri-Food Product (PAT).

We move instead to Lazio to talk about the Genuine Roman Caciotta PAT, mainly produced in theRoman countryside and based on sheep's milk, which adds a little flavor to the typical sweetness of this cheese. It can be eaten both fresh, for example as an ingredient in veal with baby rocket or as a filling for sandwiches, or seasoned, often combined with broad beans as an alternative to pecorino romano.

The only Italian caciotta that has been awarded the PDO denomination (Protected Designation of Origin), obtained in 1996, is the Casciotta of Urbino. This cheese, typical of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, it is made with 70/80% of sheep's milk and the remaining 20/30% of cow's milk. Characterized by a soft paste and a sweet milk flavor, it lends itself to many gastronomic uses. For example, it can be combined with cold meats and sausages, with fresh vegetables and the Marche olives from Ascoli.

Also noteworthy is the Sicilian variant called Caciotta degli Elimi PAT, semi – cooked sheep 's cheese typical of the province of Trapani, and in particular of the Valle del Belice. To distinguish this caciotta is the ancient origin and the particular processing technique that includes a 30-day maturation in cell in rush containers.

caciotta_Kellerio2007_Flickr

The strangest types of caciotta

Caciottas, as well as other types of cheeses, can be flavored and flavored with other ingredients. Among the most famous and particular we have the caciotta caprina from Campania chili pepper and the Umbrian one with the addition of truffle. Then, from various regions, there are also caciotta with onion, black pepper, aromatic herbs, smoked and poached in red wine.
Finally, typical of the Siena area is a caciotta whose crest is flavored with tomatotherefore characterized by a red color which was once used to confer with lamb's blood.

Photo: caciotta_Kellerio2007_Flickr.jpg

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The first regional Christmas dishes – Italian Cuisine

The first regional Christmas dishes


Not a review of dishes, but a real journey into taste that animates the Bel Paese at the most important dinner of the year

In a peninsula that extends from the Alps to the Mediterranean for a total length of 1300 km, an immense gastronomic heritage of products, recipes and traditions prepares to meet the Christmas table with all its load of flavors and … knowledge! Limiting ourselves to the world of the first regional Christmas dishes, Italy does not fail to show itself an incredible alternation of ingredients of earth, sea and lake capable of giving new emotions every time while adhering in part to the tradition that sees December 24 embracing the meager giving up meat.

First regional Christmas dishes: the North

There Valle d'Aosta it is exalted with legume, onion, cabbage and cabbage soups, leaving its legendary fondue of mountain cheese to be interpreted freely in the meal. In Piedmont dominate the agnolotti which are sometimes replaced by a warm Barolo risotto. There Liguria continues to marry the stuffed pasta with the pansotti that, especially in the Genoese, over the years have supplanted the "Natalini in brodo", long macaroni served in capon broth with meatballs or sausage bites. In Lombardy for the first regional Christmas dishes you go for pumpkin tortelli, while in Emilia Romagna we find spaghetti with tuna and anchovies that alternate with the classic tortelli, even here or pumpkin or classic butter and sage. There is no shortage of single-dish solutions like crepes or cannelloni. In Trentino Alto Adige the scene is of canederli, perhaps interpreted with the monkfish tail. In Veneto you give yourself generous portions of bigoli, risotto alla trevigiana with radicchio, Venetian rice with peas or traditional Venetian rice and peas or "coe cappe" rice based on clams. In Friuli Venezia Giulia the protagonists of the table are the potato gnocchi in Montasio sauce and leeks.

First regional Christmas dishes: the Center

In Tuscany, the hinterland highlights snails, while in Livorno it is the fish soup par excellence to reign on the table: the cacciucco! In Umbria spaghetti alla "nursina" with thin sliced ​​truffles and anchovies are a delight. In Marche, we return to sail the Adriatic with sea-scented spaghetti. In Lazio one never gives up the broccoli pasta in arzilla broth (the race nailed) or pasta with tuna sauce, while in Abruzzo spaghetti alla chitarra dominate with scampi sauce preceded by delicious fried codfish.

First regional Christmas dishes: South and Islands

Cod fritters and ricotta trousers enliven the tables of Molise, while in Puglia dinner with orecchiette with turnip tops and cavatelli with seafood. Among the first regional Christmas dishes, the taste of is not missing Basilicata with escarole soups and pasta with anchovy sauce. In Campania, spaghetti with clams is a serious thing or lobster linguine is a serious thing. In Calabria Spaghetti with anchovies and breadcrumbs or, if appropriate, spaghetti with broccoli and red pepper are preferred. Meeting between sea and land for the Sardegna with fregola with seafood, linguine with sea urchins and culurgiones, delicious ravioli filled with aged cheese and herbs.

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