Novembre 2 is the Day of the Dead (Giorno dei Morti or in Sicilian, Un juornu re muorti), also known as All Souls Day. Sicilians, who have a profound appreciation for the connection of life and death, spend this holiday recognizing their dead loved ones by visiting their graves, often enjoying a picnic while at…
Tag: marzipan
Purity And Sacrifice: Easter Lambs in Sicily
Happy Easter! Buona Pasqua! The lamb is one of the most prominent symbols of Easter. In Christianity, it symbolizes purity and sacrifice – two qualities associated with Jesus Christ. The basic form of the lamb is created from marzipan (sweet almond paste) using a mold. Then the cook decorates the pastry according to his or…
Olivette Di Sant’Agata: Olive Marzipan for Saint Agatha
The Feast of Sant’Agata is upon us, and that means olivette di Sant’Agata (pictured) can be found throughout Catania, Sicily and beyond. Olivette are green colored marzipan “olives” that may have a bit of liquor in the mix and are coded in sugar. Why olives for Agata? Legend is that when the virgin was being…
Marzipan for All Souls Day
We are upon the feast celebrations of the Day of the Dead (Giorno dei Morti, or in Sicilian, Un juornu re muorti), All Saints Day, and All Souls Day (Nov. 2). Although traditions are changing as a result of the modern world, in the past, on November 2, Sicilians, who have a profound appreciation for…
Magnificent Marzipan Fruit
Yesterday I spent the day in Catania with the magnificent Alessandro Marchese. Alessandro is an artist who specializes in making Frutta Martorana, or the marzipan (almond paste) sweets, shaped and designed to resemble fruit and vegetables. He sculpts each and every one by hand, and then he decorates them with the craftsmanship and skill of…
We Made Little Lambs (for Easter)
This flock of Favara-style Easter lambs was made by our Stirring Sicily cooking and wine tour group in September 2016 with chef Nino Elia and Zest of Lititz, Penn. under the direction of Annalisa Pompeo of GoSicily. In Sicily, the lamb is one of the most prominent symbols of Easter. The edible art is made…
Sicily’s Easter Lambs
Making lambs of marzipan (sweet almond paste) is an Easter tradition in Sicily that is passed from mothers to sons and daughters. Like decorating Easter eggs or gingerbread houses at Christmas, the creators take pride in how the outfit their lambs. This beautiful one–and extremely delicious, I might add!–was made by Annalisa Pompeo, the owner…