The three Calabrian Christmas sweets par excellence

Sultanas, figs, dried fruit, citrus fruits, vino cotto and lots of honey. These are some of the main ingredients used to make Calabrian Christmas sweets. Like any self-respecting typical dish, the recipes vary from country to country and even from family to family. But not the tradition: that always remains the same. And so, during the Christmas festivities, there is no shortage of mostaccioli, san martine and pitta 'mpigliata, to name but a few.

Calabrian Christmas sweets: the mostaccioli

Mostaccioli in Calabria have always been synonymous with celebration. Made with simple ingredients, they are famous for their hard texture and long shelf life. To make them, all you need is 500 grams of 00 flour, 500 grams of millefiori honey, 10 grams of baking powder and three egg yolks.

Calabrian Christmas sweets: the san martine or sammartine

In the province of Reggio Calabria at Christmas time, they are a must: they are the san martine, small half-moons of short pastry with a sweet filling of dried fruit. For the dough, you need 500 grams of flour, three eggs, 200 grams of sugar, 100 grams of butter, half a sachet of yeast, half a sachet of vanilla and the grated rind of a lemon. For the filling, which should be prepared two days in advance, you need 250 grams of dried figs, 140 grams of almonds, 100 grams of walnuts, 100 grams of sultanas, cinnamon, the peel of one orange and one mandarin, coffee, vino cotto and two tablespoons of bitter cocoa.

Calabrian Christmas sweets: the pitta 'mpigliata or 'nchiusa

Another typical Calabrian sweet prepared at Christmas is the pitta 'mpigliata, originally from San Giovanni in Fiore and very popular throughout the province of Cosenza. In the province of Catanzaro, however, it is known as pitta 'nchiusa. In this case, too, it is a pastry filled with dried fruit and honey. To make the dough, you need 500 grams of 00 flour, two eggs, 100 ml of extra virgin olive oil, 100 ml of sweet wine, 100 ml of sweet orange juice, two tablespoons of sugar, a small glass of Vermouth, cinnamon, the peel of an orange, a sachet of baking powder and a pinch of salt. The ingredients for the filling are 250 grams of honey, 200 grams of walnuts, 200 grams of sultanas, 60 grams of pine nuts, a pinch of powdered cloves, a pinch of cinnamon, the grated rind of one orange, one lemon and a small glass of Vermouth. For a grandma-proof result, it would be better to start preparing the filling a little in advance.