24 Mar Sweets in the Apulian Tradition: It’s Easter Time!
Sweets and festivities always go together
The Apulian tradition, as we know, has a strong connection with all the important festivities of the year, as it happens in all Italy: Christmas and Easter are moments when families gather together and they certainly celebrate these occasions preparing amazing traditional recipes and having lunches and dinners together!
And every one of these real banquets cannot end without sweets, of course!
We had already told you about the typical Christmas sweets according to the Apulian tradition, now that Easter is approaching, instead, we want to show you those sweets that will be prepared in Apulian families in the next few days!
The typical Easter sweets of the Apulian tradition
As it happens for Christmas sweets, also the Easter ones are usually prepared with simple ingredients, as their recipes derive from the cooking traditions of simple, country people who used what the territory could offer, but they are all the same extremely delicious! And in addition, they are also prepared with the utmost care and creativity, so that they really look beautiful, too!
1. Scarcella
This is the most typical Easter sweet of the Apulian tradition! It is a sort of big cookie that can have different shapes and is usually decorated with sprinkles and little chocolate eggs.
It is also customary to place a hard-boiled egg at the centre of the cookie: the egg is a very symbolic element connected with Easter, as it represents birth and new life.
Scarcelle of different shapes (franziskachef.wordpress.com)
2. Pastatelle di Conversano
These delicious sweets are typical of the town of Conversano, near Bari. They are a sort of half-moon shaped dumplings, filled with black grapes jam and walnuts.
Pastatelle di Conversano (il-dolcetto.blogspot.it)
3. Marzipan lambs
Marzipan is a sort of paste made with sugar or honey and almonds: it can be kneaded to create different three-dimensional shapes. It is very common in Sicily but also in Apulia, where it is used at Easter time to create little lambs, also painted with food colourings to draw all the details, as the lamb is a typical symbol of this Christian festivity.
The typical marzipan lambs (gennarino.org)
4. Carrucolo pugliese
This ring-shaped cake is prepared by making a braid with three parts of dough: a raw egg is placed at the junction point and then fixed with two strips of dough. The cake is then decorated with sprinkles.
The so-called carrucolo pugliese (cookingwith.files.wordpress.com)
5. Taralli di Pasqua
This sort of doughnuts is a typical Apulian recipe: the rings of dough are not baked but boiled in water and then glazed once they are dry.
They are definitely something to try!
Taralli di Pasqua (blog.giallozafferano.it)
So, which is your favourite sweet among them? Let us know in the comments!
And don’t forget to share this post to let your friends know more about Apulia!
And while we get ready to celebrate Easter with these amazing sweets, contact us for any information about Apulia and its traditions!
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Lots of (Apulian) love!
♥♥♥ Claudia
[your friendly neighborhood wedding planner]
Cover photo: Pane Angeli
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