Everyone has been talking about Sambuca di Sicilia. In fact, so much so that the 1€ house offer was featured on the cover of The Wall Street Journal yesterday. It’s definitely a good deal. But enough about that! The real reason to move to Sambuca di Sicilia (other than the fact that it is beautiful) is their typical pastry shaped like women’s breasts called “Minna di Virgini” or Breasts of the Virgin.
Like many pastries in Sicily, the Sambucese confirmed that these breast-shaped, baked pastry with a well-pronounced nipple were created by the nuns–the nuns of the Collegio di Maria in town. They did so in 1725 in honor of the wedding of Don Pietro Beccadelli, Baron and Marquis of Salinas Sambuca, and his bride Donna Marianna Gravina. Talk about an heirloom wedding gift!
Now a legendary pastry, once you bite through the soft pastry crust, you taste the layers of sweet ricotta with chocolate chips and cinnamon and candied green squash paste. Yes, candied squash paste!
One baker to whom I spoke, explained that her Minna di Virgini were particularly special because she carefully cultivated the squash herself, specifically for the filling. Then she proudly brought the granny-Smith apple green squash out to show me. Minna di Virgini are serious business. In fact, there is serious, but friendly competition between the pasticcerias in town regarding who has the best ones. So, once you renovate your 1€ house, you’ll have time to decide which you like best.
