The tradition of Easter is very important in Tuscany, especially in Siena, the city where the local events such as the Palio involve all the people. Here there are fairies, reenactments, festivals and other events related to the centuries-old history of Siena.
This part of Tuscany, in fact, offers many different fragrances and flavors, as proven by the speciies that delight tourists from all over the world; for this reason we tell you the origins of the typical Sienese Easter sweets.
If you are thinking about the chocolate eggs, you should know that their origin lies in the farmer tradition, because once the peasant families kept chickens and, during Lent, eggs piled up, so them were often used for the preparation of Easter cakes.
Easter Traditional sweets in Tuscany
Sienese Easter Cake
Pandiramerino is one of the local speciies that you can taste at Easter, it is a dessert very easy to prepare, made with bread dough, extra virgin olive oil, raisins and rosemary and, usually, was blessed before being consumed.
The Pandiramerino has spread especially in the Chianti area.
The Lenten cookies (Quaresimali) are one of the best known sweets both in the province of Florence and Siena, since they have the form of letters of the alphabet and are prepared with flour, sugar, cocoa, egg whites and candied orange peel; however the most popular sweet of Easter is the ciaccia, also known as schiacciata.
The name of this cake refers to “crush” eggs, used to cook this delicacy. Also it is custom to decorate the cake with lines reminiscent of the Glowing Sun of San Bernardino, a symbol found in many monuments of Siena.
The ideal match with this cake is Vin Santo, a good advice to toast to an unforgettable holiday in Tuscany.
As always, the ingredients are very easy to find: flour, sugar, eggs, lard, juice and grated rind of orange, lemon, anise seeds, yeast.
Have you ever heard of corolli? These are biscuits maid with the mixture of the schiacciata, more precisely these are donuts cooked in the oven.
There is a fun pastime about the corolli: children are used to tie around their neck the donut and were trying to prove their ability to eat without it falling to the ground.
Another Sienese speciy is the ciambelline di Rigomagno, a hamlet close to Sinalunga where is held an annual festival dedicated to these donuts.
The recipes vary greatly within the region, but usually you can eat these donuts with Vin Santo or at breakfast, soaked in milk.
In Siena, you’ll find these donuts fried and covered with sugar and donuts are sometimes called ciambelle degli sposi (newlyweds donuts).
To learn more about other sweets, we refer to our guide to the traditional pastries, dedicated to Ricciarelli, Panforte and Cantuccini, among others.
Delight yourself during your next trip to Siena, you will find these desserts in restaurants and trattorias specialized in Tuscan cuisine.
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