Almonds, figs, chestnuts, cooked must, honey, and so on — just a few ingredients that characterize Christmas desserts from Southern Italy. Here's a look at several.
Widespread throughout Southern Italy
Torrone, croccante and candied almonds
Nuts comprise several Christmas sweets including torrone and croccante — you can also find them candied. Almonds are the most popular, but some regions also feature hazelnuts. Sicilians incorporate sesame seeds into their desserts. Pastry chefs usually prepare torrone, which is more complex, while home cooks handle croccante and candied nuts. Alternatively, almonds can also be toasted and combined with melted chocolate, In Puglia, they're called atterrate, although, depending on the town, the name could refer to pralines.
Struffoli
Countless variations of struffoli are scattered throughout Italy’s center and south. Central Italians call them cicerchiata while in Basilicata and Calabria, they're known as cicerata. In some parts of Italy they're during Carnival and not Christmas. These fried, chickpea-sized balls are composed of flour, egg, lard, and sugar. Once cooked, they cool on absorbent paper before being placed on a round plate and covered with hot honey then garnished with candied fruit, such as orange peel or cedar. The Neapolitan version is called the diavolilli, a reference to the rainbow sprinkle garnish.
Mostaccioli
These rhomboid-shaped cookies are found around the south, and they have a black exterior due to how they're mixed with cooked must. Among the ingredients are honey, cinnamon, and orange peel, but they lack eggs or dairy products, so they’re perfectly suitable for the lactose intolerant. They're normally soft (but this also depends on freshness) and they keep better with a dark chocolate glaze. A white version can be found in Sardinia.
Campania
Raffioli, roccoco and susamielli
In addition to struffoli, Naples is known for this dessert trio. Raffioli take their name from ravioli though they differ from the stuffed pasta, resembling a lavishly glazed sponge cake covered with apricot jam. There is also the a cassata version filled with ricotta cream, chocolate, sugar, and candied fruit like the Sicilian dessert after which they're named. The roccocò is a doughnut-shaped cookie with almonds, candied fruit, and various spices. Its hard texture pairs well with a sweet wine. Finally, susamielli are S-shaped almond cookies mixed with honey instead of eggs and butter which makes them particularly suitable for any dietary intolerances.
Pasticelle
Calzoncelli, fried pockets stuffed with chestnuts are widespread throughout Southern Italy, pasticelle from Salerno, with their round shape and jagged edges, remain the most attractive version of this Christmas sweet. The puff pastry is quite similar to that of the cartellate, which have a chestnut filling. Some add cocoa in the dough while others flavor it with orange blossom or Strega liqueur. They're finished with a coating of powdered sugar or a touch of warm honey and rainbow sprinkles.
Puglia
Cartellate
Found mainly across Puglia, cartellate go by different names in different towns. In the city of Bari, they're known ascartiddat' while further south, they're crustele in Lucera and colustri in Gargano. Regardless of the the name, the pastry never changes. The town of Foggia holds a competition to see who can stretch their dough as thinly as possible, which they then shape into roses and fry. The process requires multiple hands, so it brings families together in the kitchen. They're often finished with hot honey or cooked must or even a mix of both, and, if desired, garnished with rainbow sprinkles or chopped almonds.
Calabria
Nacatole
These fried sweets come from Locride and take their name from the naca, or cradle, a reference to baby Jesus. Shapes vary from a classic doughnut ring to a braid, but the most beautiful is the one that's “spun and twisted” by expert hands into the shape of a cradle. There are two schools of thought regarding the dough: One uses mother yeast and lets it rest and and the other doesn't.
Pitta 'nchiusa
Also known as pitta ‘mpigliata, ’nchiusa consist of a series of dough roses similar to cartellate, but filled with a mixture of dried fruit and honey and arranged beside one another crate a large tart, which is then oven baked.
Abruzzo
Parrozzo
This Abruzzese Christmas cake is the dessert closest to panettone among Southern Italian Christmas sweets, but both the dough and the procedure differ. Pastry chef Luigi D'Amico created this in the 1920s, inspired by the pane rozzo, a coarse Abruzzese bread made from corn flour. He replaced the corn with eggs and white flour, added finely chopped almonds, and covered it in chocolate. Poet Gabriele D'Annunzio suggested the name, and even dedicated a poem to the correction, La Canzone del Parrozzo (The Song of Parrozzo).
Sicily
Buccellati
Also known as cucciddatu in dialect, the name comes from the Latin Buccellatus, which means little treats. These shortcrust pastries contain a filling of dried figs, pistachios, raisins, honey, and orange marmalade. Traditionally these filled cookies are baked then glazed, and it's also made as a cake.