by Janet Farricelli CPDT-KA

Created on: November 20, 2008   Last Updated: November 30, 2008

If there is one thing I miss from Italy it is defiinetly the food. Being raised in Italy as I child, I must admit I get terrible nostalgia for the Italian desserts and pastries. There is just something about Italian desserts that make them memorable and hard to surpass. No Sunday afternoon ever went by during my childhood in Italy, without visiting a pastry shop. Eating pastries after church following a hearty meal, was surely a sacred event in our home.

When it comes to desserts, Italy sure has quite some variety. With the sweet, indulgent desserts of the South and the creamy, sophisticated pastries of the North, it seems like there is no escape from indulging in a mouthwatering adventure. If you ever decide to visit Italy, make sure to visit a nicely assorted pasticceria.

However, should the trip be quite impossible or it may be undeterminately post poned, let me take you on a virtual tour through Italy's best desserts.

*Note: You are about to embark on an interactive tour. Simply click on the name of the dessert for a visual presentation. Disclaimer: Sweet tooth discretion advised!

Cassata

A cassata is a great Sicilian specimen portraying well the Arab culture. It can be described as being a sponge cake with a sweet filling made of ricotta, chocolate chips, candied fruits and a dash or cinnamon. As mentioned above, in order to protect the filling, a generous amount of green almond paste is applied to completely cover the cake. To make the cake even more ornamental, candied fruit is added to the top, mostly featuring candied cherries, candied squash strips and even an entire candied orange placed right on the middle. The whole cake is then finished with white icing features resembling the old Renaissance design.

Torta setteveli

Translated the word 'torta' stands for cake and 'setteveli' stands for 'seven veils'. This cake is said to have been created by a Sicilian cook from Palermo named Luca Mannori. One of the best specimens of this cake can be found at the "pasticceria Cappello" in Palermo. This cake is phenomenal and is made of lots of layers, of which some are made of hazelnut cream, corn flakes, chocolate cream, praline and a last layer made of mirror shiny chocolate syrup.

Cannoli

If you visit Italy eating Cannoli is a must. You cannot fly back without trying it out. This decadent dessert is made of typical pastry shells that may resemble in some way the pasta shape cannelloni. The shell is a sort of oblong tube that is filled with ricotta, chocolate chips

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