12 Nov Apulian Food: The Most Delicious Christmas Sweets
Apulian Food & Festivities: a perfect combination!
Apulian food is always an interesting topic in every moment of the year (yes, I know, we Italians LOVE talking about food as much as we love eating!) but it’s even more interesting in conjunction with festivities and celebrations.
The reason is that Apulian cooking tradition, like those of many other Italian regions, was once the tradition of the poor people of the countryside, who used the simple but genuine ingredients offered by their territory. The richest and more elaborated recipes were then a privilege of Sundays and of days of celebrations such as Christmas and Easter.
This is a perfect moment now, as Christmas is approaching very quickly! Tv commercials are already full of Christmas trees, decorations and sumptuously decked tables, but very soon what we see on tv will be wonderfully real and Apulian tables will be covered with its excellent typical dishes, but especially with delicious sweets!
(and if you want to have just a hint of the rich Apulian food traditions, have a look at “5 Typical Apulian Must-Have Dishes for Your Wedding Banquet“)
The Typical Apulian Sweets for Christmas Festivities
The list of the Apulian sweets typically made for Christmas time is very long, there are also many variations according to the different areas of the region. That’s why I’ve picked up my favourite ones, here they are!
Cartellate
These sweets seem to date back to the 6th century BC and were so good they were offered to the pagan gods!
They are made with a thin ribbon of pastry rolled up to form the shape of a rose, then fried in abuntand olive oil, soaked in vincotto (reduced wine must) or honey and dressed with cinnamor or powdered sugar.
There are many variations of the original recipe and they are all equally delicious!
A plateful of delicious cartellate! (laterradipuglia.it)
Purceddhruzzi
This peculiar name in local dialect means “little piglets” and it is due to the typical shape of these pastry dumplings.
The recipe changes a bit according to the different areas of the region, but it always includes juice of orange, tangerine and lemon, cinnamon, cloves and anisette: an explosion of flavours and scents!
Purceddhruzzi: one of the most typical Apulian sweets (wikipedia.org)
Cupeta
This sweet has Arabic origins and it dates back to the Middle Age.
It is a mixture of ingredients such as almonds, sesame, honey and sugar, but the precise recipe is passed down only from one generation of masters of this art to the following one!
Some pieces of delicious cupeta (giallozafferano.it)
Mostaccioli
Also this sweets have very ancient, Arabic origins.
They are made with flour, almonds, vincotto, sugar and then covered with an icing made with sugar and chocolate.
Delicious mostaccioli are famous all over Italy! (laterradipuglia.it)
Biscotto di Ceglie
This is a peculiar sweet, as it is produced in the only area of the town of Ceglie Messapica, in the province of Brindisi, as well as all its ingredients.
It is a glazed cookie, made with almonds and cherry or grapes jam, with a scent of lemon or coffee, prepared in occasions of big events, such as weddings, or festivities.
Biscotto di Ceglie: a typical Apulian product (cioccomorra.it)
I am sure these wonderful sweets are an excellent reason for a trip in Apulia at Christmas!
Or, perhaps, an excellent reason for a winter wedding in Apulia! Why not?
(If you need more reasons, read “5 reasons to choose a winter wedding ceremony in Apulia“)
Which one of these sweets would you like to taste? Let us know in the comments!
And contact us for any information you might need about Apulia and our leisure packages!
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Lots of (Apulian) love!
♥♥♥ Claudia
[your friendly neighborhood wedding planner]
Cover photo: ilcalderonealchemico.blogspot.com
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