Italian Easter desserts: what do Italians eat at Easter?

When Easter time comes, Italians’ tables begin to be laden with unparalleled delicacies.
Among the protagonists of holiday menus there is never a shortage of desserts, always ready to conclude a good meal, whether it is lunch or dinner. In this article we will present four of Italy’s typical Easter holiday desserts, from those known nationally to those that are purely regional but appreciated everywhere: Easter eggs, Easter dove, almond paste lamb, and Neapolitan Pastiera.

1. Easter eggs

The Easter dessert par excellence that unites all of Italy, regardless of different local traditions, is definitely the chocolate Easter egg. Apparently, its first version originated in the court of King Louis XIV, the Sun King, who commissioned one from his confectioner during the 18th century to celebrate the arrival of spring. The first French eggs, however, were full and therefore harder and more difficult to eat. It would be necessary to wait until the nineteenth century and then the twentieth century to improve chocolate processing techniques and obtain a patent for a mold that could produce hollow chocolate eggs by joining two half ovals and giving the possibility of even inserting a surprise inside. This extraordinary invention is said to have taken place in Italy, in Turin, and it is thanks to this that delicious Easter eggs can be had on every table today.

For those who want to try this all-Italian delicacy while enjoying the highest quality of raw material, a chocolate egg made by the Turin-based Venchi is ideal. In addition to the more classic milk or dark chocolate versions, you can also find eggs with white chocolate, pistachio, stracciatella, hazelnut or even with a soft cream filling in the mini egg versions.

This dessert is the most beloved of all: it is no coincidence that it is the most eagerly awaited Easter gift for both adults and children. In fact, it is a tradition in Italy to give one to friends, family members or loved ones to wish them a happy Easter. Moreover, people often also buy it for themselves: it is impossible to resist its extreme deliciousness, at any age.

Easter Dove Bread, Photo Courtesy of SavoringItaly.com

2. Easter dove

In addition to Easter eggs, one of the other stars of Italian holiday tables is the incredibly famous Easter dove. This is a leavened, soft, and fragrant cake shaped like a dove and covered with almonds and sprinkles. This cake is widespread throughout Italy, from north to south, and is eaten both in its traditional version and in the one with the most varied fillings.

The Dove represents, also thanks to its shape, the symbol of peace, rebirth, and love, typical of Christian Easter. Legends also hover around its history, as with all recipes rooted in culture, but facts would point to Lombardy as its birthplace, around the 1930s.

In Milan, in fact, the famous Panettone, which would give the idea for the creation of the Easter Dove, was already well known. Given its success, local pastry chefs thought well of reusing the recipe to give birth to a new product, to be distributed at Easter, instead of at Christmas. What would change was only the shape, which would recall that of a dove, the symbol of Easter. And that is how the much-loved Colomba was born, a must-have in every Italian home this holiday season.

Photo Courtesy of juliadellacroce.com

3. The almond paste lamb

Moving on to regional desserts, the first one mentioned is the Sicilian almond paste lamb. In Sicily, in fact, lamb is prepared as a dessert. Island tradition dictates that this animal, a symbol of Easter, is transformed from a main course into an exquisite gift for loved ones with the wish for a happy Easter. The Sicilian Easter lamb is a dessert made of almond paste or marzipan, whose origin is very ancient.

Apparently, the nuns of the College of Mary in the town of Favara, in the Agrigento area, invented the recipe. It is said that the nuns chose to make a marzipan lamb thanks to a plaster mold, precisely to symbolize the resurrection of Jesus and celebrate it with a kind gesture. Giving the almond paste lamb is a quite common and widespread gesture in all parts of Sicily, a gift appreciated by children as well as adults.

It is usually prepared at home during the Lenten season, but today it is also possible to buy it in the best bakeries on the island that prepare it for the occasion. It can be found in both classic and filled versions: for example, in Erice lambs are stuffed with citron preserve, in Agrigento with pistachio preserve and in Palermo with zuccata preserve.

Photo Courtesy of marcellinaincucina.com

4. Neapolitan Pastiera

Moving to Campania, one finds the delicious Pastiera Napoletana. This is a typical Easter cake, made of short pastry filled with a dough made of boiled wheat, ricotta cheese and eggs, and flavoured with orange zest. Its history is also very ancient and is full of legends. It is said that the people of Campania, in order to express their gratitude to the siren Partenope, who had chosen to make the Gulf of Naples her home, brought her seven gifts as a gift. These gifts were:

• flour, a symbol of fecundity;
• ricotta cheese, a symbol of abundance;
• eggs, symbol of fertility;
• wheat cooked in milk, a symbol of harmony between the animal and plant worlds;
• orange blossoms, a symbol of the fragrance of their land;
• spices, as a tribute from all peoples;
• sugar, as a tribute to the Siren herself for her sweet song.

According to legend, Parthenope liked all seven gifts and blended them to give birth to an over-the-top dessert, namely the Pastiera.

History, however, has it that the origin of the Neapolitan Pastiera can be traced back to the Convent of San Gregorio Armeno, where Benedictine nuns in the 16th century invented the recipe to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus.

A dessert, then, rich in history, which has adorned Easter holiday tables for centuries.