The sweetest Italy Vol.1

The Sweetest Italy vol.1: the main Italian desserts of Tuscany and Lazio regions

We have said it several times and we never get tired of repeating it. We are good at cooking, we like to eat well and to make our guests eat excellently.

If is true that “we are what we eat”, we Italians are a mix of all the different people who have lived in our land for centuries, leaving marked traces of their culinary cultures. But today we want to talk about what maybe is the most important aspect of our cuisine, the desserts. This is a quick overview of the main desserts divided by region, to make you mouth-watering, and to increase even more your desire to come and visit our country and enjoy the real “Dolce Vita”.

Italy Tuscany Desserts

Tuscany pastries are prepared with simple ingredients such as flour, eggs, raisins and anise and are closely linked to the feast days.

- Cantuccini
  They are crunchy biscuits made with eggs, sugar, flour, butter, lemon zest, almonds and hazelnuts. Obtained by slicing the dough loaf still warm, according to the Tuscan tradition, they are eaten after a meal, accompanied by a glass of Vin santo, a traditional wine dessert.

- Ricciarelli
  These are a type of cookies, not brittle, covered with powdered sugar. Prepared with sweet almonds, sugar, egg, yeast, honey and candied orange, they have an oval shape and the label PGI (Protected Geographical Indication).

Zuccotto
It is the first semifreddo in the history of cooking and it seems to be “born” in a military helmet, hence its name and its shape. In origin it was made with ricotta cheese, candied fruit, almonds and dark chocolate, today it has many variations.

Italy Lazio Desserts

Roman cuisine is made of simple ingredients too, but the fundamental one for both savory dishes and desserts is the ricotta cheese.

- Ricotta Ice Cream
  It seems that this dessert has origins linked to the activities of shepherds and the ingredients that they could find easily. The ricotta is combined with a cream made of egg yolks and sugar flavored with rum or marsala.

- Maritozzi con la panna
  They are a sort of small and soft bread enriched with raisin and pine nuts, cut in half and stuffed with fresh whipped cream. The name, probably derives from the word “husband”, and there are two legends associated with this name: one concerns the old custom according to which the men, every first Friday of March, gave this cake to their brides; the other is related to the tradition of marriageable girls that used to cook these pastries for men sit in the square. Those who had prepared the best maritozzi, would have received the attention of the most beautiful man.

Ciambelline al vino (Wine Donuts)
The ingredients are those of normal biscuits: sugar and flour with the addition of a little quantity of wine. You give them the shape of a donut and then a sprinkling of sugar. They are very simple, but addictive!

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