Typical Siena's Easter sweets
Eggs: the main ingredient on the table
From the Middle Ages and up to a century ago, in many families the "Quaresima" was strictly observed and all the forty days were excluded from meals, meat and meat products. Even the eggs were not allowed except the clear, but not the yolk, too fat. In peasant's families, eggs were the richness, that is why people used to accumulate them throughout the period and it is for this reason that to prepare Easter cakes were used a lot of eggs.
The Pandiramerino was the first typical cake appearing on the tables, this cake it's made of bread dough, extra virgin olive oil, raisins and rosemary. The tradition was that this simple dessert was prepared on Holy Thursday and before being consumed was blessed. Very well-known in the province of Florence, in our area was known primarily in the Chianti area.
Together with this, also came simple biscuits: Quaresimali, dark biscuits that were in the shape of the letters, made of flour, sugar, cocoa, egg whites and candied orange peel.
With the arrival of Easter all restrictions fell and sweet for excellence in Siena and in Tuscany is still the Crushed or Easter Ciaccia or Focaccia.
Its ancient origin is closely linked to the rural world and the term probably derives from the large number of eggs used, "crushed", for its preparation.
In some countries of the vast territory of the province of Siena there is still the tradition of enriching the surface of the Ciaccia with lines starting from the center and composing the Glowing Sun of San Bernardino.
If you really want to enter the mood, have a glass of Vin Santo or even with salami and Chianti wine. The ingredients for a traditional Easter Schiacciata are flour, sugar, eggs, lard, juice and grated rind of orange, lemon, anise seeds, and yeast.
Corollo and Vin Santo
Other than Quaresimali biscuits, you can also taste the Corolli, donuts cooked in the oven real joy of all children. The Corollo was tied around the neck with a wool yarn large and you had to prove your skills managing to eat it without letting it fall to the ground.
Last sweet traditional Easter holidays we want to remember are the Easter Donuts or the spouses.
These delicious donuts are part of the tradition of the Sienese Valdichiana and Arezzo and, still today Rigomagno, a small village near Sinalunga, celebrates this superb product with an annual festival.
The Easter Ciambellino has a size of about 20 cm, and even then there is a strong call upon religious representing the crown of thorns which encircled the head of Jesus. The Ciambellino is consumed after a meal with some good vin santo or for breakfast in the milk. There is no single recipe, in fact, within the same community there are also many variants, but the ingredients are more or less the following: eggs, flour, sugar, vanilla, baking powder, butter, lemon, orange, anise seed, oil extra virgin and a glass of maraschino or rum.
Now, let's enjoy Easter in the sweetest way!
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