It is a well-known fact that in Italy everything related to the holidays rhymes with cooking. And there is no journey that is not accompanied by the culinary traditions of the places that you visit. Easter is just around the corner, and with our virtual tour we’ll take you to discover the most famous dishes of the country.
Let’s start with Liguria. It is the home to one of Italy’s best known and well-loved Easter recipes: the Torta Pasqualina, a savory recipe typical of Genoa. This tasty pie, made with vegetables, eggs, and cheese, is a true delicacy to be enjoyed on Easter Sunday and to be taken along to the Easter Monday picnic.
Do you know where it can’t be Easter without lasagna? Emilia Romagna. This is the home of this mouthwatering first course. During a tour in this Region, and specifically in the city of Bologna, you can’t miss a stop at a restaurant to taste this delicacy, you will be completely satisfied! If you want to follow the Emilian tradition you must try the traditional recipe, green lasagna: flour, eggs, spinach and meat sauce, all, obviously, enriched with béchamel sauce.
Among the tastiest recipes of Central Italy is the crescia, a cornerstone of the Marche’s regional culture. This delicious leavened focaccia is high and soft. The recipe’s secret is in its simplicity: flour, eggs, olive oil, pecorino cheese, and obviously a long and slow rising process.
There is no tradition in Lazio without grilled meat! Abbacchio a scottadito is the star of the Easter table. Are you familiar with this main course? These are grilled lamb ribs, to be served very hot as though just removed from the hot coals, hence the term “scottadito“, which literally means finger-burning, to be accompanied only by excellent red wine.
Our culinary journey for today ends in Campania, and it is appropriate to say “dulcis in fundo” (the sweets come last). Until now we have presented you with savory dishes, first and second courses, but we have to end Easter lunch in the most traditional way and bring to the table the queen of Neapolitan sweets: the Pastiera. The Neapolitan Pastiera is not just a dessert, it is a collection of aromas and sensations which take you on a journey among the citrus fruits of the Amalfi coast that help contrast the cake’s sweetness. Eggs, ricotta, wheat and pastry combine with a blend of essences to make it one of the most envied desserts in the world.
Like everything that comes from Naples, the Pastiera’s origins are wrapped up in myth and reality: there are those who believe that it was a gift to the siren Partenope, some instead say that it was a dish invented by the nuns of San Gregorio Armeno. In any case, if you are in Naples, go to Scaturchi, Ceraldo Caffè or the Gran Caffè Pasticceria Santoro, just to mention a few of the temples to the pastiera and let yourself be enveloped by flavors that you won’t find anywhere else.
How about spending 8 days touring Naples and the Amalfi coast? It would be the perfect chance to try out all the best pastry shops and come up with your own ranking of the best pastiera in the city!