In Naples, Christmas means desserts warming and sweetening homes in the evenings with holiday spirit. There are many pastries that make Neapolitan traditions amazing. Susamielli are some of the best. They’re very fragrant, full of honey and almonds, with the intense aroma of pisto, a typical mixture of spices, and they have an unmistakable “S” shape.
The recipe is quite old. According to some people its origins date back to ancient Greece. The cookies come from the sesame and honey cakes prepared in honor of the goddesses Demeter and Persephone of the Eleusinian Mysteries. In fact, the name itself comes from the combination of the ingredients sesame and honey in Italian (sesamo and miele), as they were once entirely sprinkled with sesame, and obviously sweetened with honey. Their recipe was confirmed in the 18 th century, preserved in a recipe book of 1788. Three versions were made in ancient times: susamielli “dello zampognaro” made with citrus rind and other leftovers, which were intended for the pipers (zampognaro) who went to the houses to play, and were also offered to servants. The susamielli “del buon cammino” (of the good path) were filled with black cherry jam and were for the religious and pilgrims.
Only the susamielli “dei nobili” (of the nobles), reserved for the lords, were prepared with refined flour according to a recipe very similar to the one which is still widespread in the homes of Naples today. Here the susamielli are made in the days leading up to the Immaculate Conception on December 8, and you can enjoy them during the entire holiday period, dipped in a glass of Marsala or sweet wine. The Moccia pastry shop now offers them as they were once made, with a strong tradition that dates back to 1936, the year in which Giuseppina Moccia opened her bakery.
The recipe for Susamielli
Ingredients
4 cups honey, 3/4 cup apricot jam, 6 2/3 cups flour, 1 1/8 cup sugar, 4 cups chopped peeled almonds, 1 tsp pisto (mixture of spices prepared with 1 whole nutmeg, 5-6 cloves, 3 tsp cocoa powder, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 star anise, 1 pinch of pepper), 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp baker’s ammonia, 1/2 tsp vanillin
Instructions
Bring the honey and sugar to a boil, remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes, then add the apricot jam to the mixture. Pour the flour onto a work surface and add the pisto, vanillin, cinnamon, baker’s ammonia and chopped almonds. Mix all the ingredients with the honey, sugar and jam to form a homogeneous and compact mixture. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes and then cut it into regular pieces (about 20). Roll each piece into the shape of a rope over the floured work surface, then shape it into an S. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush them lightly with water to make their surface smooth. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 10 minutes. Let the susamielli cool completely and store them in sealed bags or in a box so they don’t lose their aroma and texture.