Not sure if you’ll remember the Panetone pandemonium at Christmas, but we’re not taking any risks for Easter! We’ve got a veritable mountain of them!
Having never tried one myself I took to the wonderful wide web of information but came away even more confused. As with most Italian foods it is a very regional thing.
There doesn’t seem to be one clear answer as to where the Easter Colomba came from. It seems the first was in Milan but since then different regions attribute it’s inception to battles and myths ranging from the middle ages to a battle of 1176. The common denominator is that it was a celebration of peace, hence the dove shaped cake. I’m still none the wiser as to why it’s a traditional Easter treat…
Colomba and Panetone are very similar – both a slow-proved, enriched dough usually flavoured with dried fruit. The Colomba is even more decadent as it is traditionally glazed and covered in candied almonds.
Pasticceria Scarpato is a fairly small producer from just outside Verona. Each Colomba is shaped by hand and carefully kneaded 3 times a day over 72 hours. We were tempted to get a box of each but managed to limit ourselves to Classica (dried fruit), Cioccolato (filled with Chocolate crème patissiere), Limone (filled with lemon cream) and Pistacchio (filled with pistachio cream).
We hope you enjoy them and that they bring you peace and a very happy belly!