It’s December 9th? Then it’s one of our favourite days of the year: #PastryDay! We are approaching Christmas, so it’s the best time to brush up some traditional Christmas pastries recipes from different regions!

Here some examples:

Tuscany

In Tuscany, Panforte is the queen, a low and soft baked product filled with candied fruit, almonds and spices. It has millenary origins: the first written records relating to this dessert, in fact, date back to the year 1000, and at that time it was called Christmas Bread.

Lazio

In the Lazio region we have the Pangiallo. It is a dough made from flour, dried fruit, honey and candied citron which is then brushed with egg yolks. The name is suggested by the yellow color of the crust, which is formed during cooking in the oven. Tradition has it that, on the day of the winter solstice (December 21th), this dessert is prepared as a good omen for the return of the long sunny days, which the color of the cake recalls.

Puglia

In Puglia it’s a tradition to prepare Cartellate: these are thin sheets of dough made with flour, oil and white wine, worked in the shape of a rose, fried in abundant oil and garnished with honey or must. In the Christian tradition, the characteristic shape represents the halo or the bands that wrap the Baby Jesus in the cradle, but also the crown of thorns at the time of the crucifixion.

Campania

In Campania the “must do” are definitely the Struffoli, that are small balls of sweet dough, fried and then dipped in honey, decorated with colored sprinkles and candied fruit. Typical Christmas dessert, it is said to have been brought to Naples by the Greeks, when the city was known as “Partenope”. The name “struffolo” seems to come from the Greek language, more precisely from the words strongoulos, ie rounded, and pristòs, which means cut. Therefore, by assonance, a “strongoulos pristòs” is a cut round ball.

Sicily

Sicily delights us with numerous Christmas sweets of various shapes and tastes. Among these delicacies, we remember the Torrone which boasts a centuries-old tradition in its preparation. Called Cubbaita, it is made with almonds, hazelnuts or pistachios (the most popular are those from Bronte). It is a very ancient sweet product, based on sugar, honey and almonds or sesame. The best known nougat is the one prepared with sesame and chopped almonds.

Which one teases your sweet tooth the most? Let us know!