Growing up in an Italian-American home, the one thing I looked forward to the most on Easter Sunday was getting giant chocolate Easter eggs, or as we called it in Italian, "il uovo di Pasqua."
These enormous, hollow, chocolate eggs are wrapped in bright and colorful foil and tied together with a fancy dramatic bow. The best part of the chocolate egg is cracking it open and finding a surprise or "sorprese" inside.
The practice of gifting oversized chocolate Easter eggs dates to the 19th century, but this Italian-American tradition has started to fade, making it harder and harder to find the treat.
One reliable source is Ferrara Bakery, located in New York City's historic Little Italy. Considered America's first Italian bakery, founded in 1892, Ferrara still features an outstanding array of Italian specialties—including the chocolate Easter egg. The chocolate Easter eggs Ferrara carry are made with Perugina chocolate, imported from Italy.
Chocolate Easter eggs are a longstanding tradition at Ferrara Bakery in New York City.
Fourth-generation Ferrara family member Ernest Lepore says giving chocolate Easter eggs is one of America’s longest-running holiday traditions. “The egg came way before Peeps," he says.
"The egg reminds us that everything comes around in spring,” he adds. “It represents the cycle of life, which is why we must never let this Italian childhood favorite tradition die away."