A lot of Italy’s beloved Christmas foods have become famous around the world in recent years. In particular, her panettone fruit cake has been made a fixture of many displays of Christmas foods in stores all over the globe each year. However, this is actually only one such cake from the country and there are lots of other regional versions that are well worth sampling. In fact, booking a villa in Italy over the Holidays is ideal for the curious foodie as there are all sorts of amazing seasonal delights to be sampled!
If you were to book a vacation rental in Sicily, for example, in addition to enjoying milder winter weather, fascinating historic sites, amazing natural beauty, and a distinct local culture and traditions, you can also try amazing regional Christmas treats, including their own festive fruit cake: Buccellato.
Not to be confused with a similar but distinct cake of the same name from Lucca in Tuscany, this cake combines figs, raisins, dates, nuts (most commonly almonds), and candied citrus fruits. Usually baked in a ring shape, it is one of the many dishes of the country that has unknown origins as too much time has passed and it has been prepared in the area now for centuries.
While representing good fortune and prosperity and often associated with family celebrations and milestones – such as being given by godparents to the parents of their godchild or by a best man or maid of honour to the parents of the bride – it is today mostly associated with Christmas.
It is also a hard dish to replicate as there is no single accepted recipe and most families and areas have their own traditions and takes, but buccellati are widely available over the Holidays in bakeries and shops throughout Sicily. So, if you are booking a holiday rental in Sicily, be sure to pick one up and add it to your spread if you are planning on having a special Christmas day meal.