🕊 Colomba di Pasqua 🕊
Colomba is an Italian Easter Traditions, it literally means “ Easter
Dove”.
It takes the name from its shape that has been given for the relation
with Easter celebrations.
Origins and legends
The choice to represent a dessert with the features of a bird, is
strictly linked to a religious meaning. The dove is in fact the animal
that according to the Christian religion fully represents peace,
salvation but above all the resurrection. Behind the birth of this sweet
still linger myths and legends that come from far away like the one that
dates back to the XVI century in the area of Pavia, after the siege of
the city, linked to the Lombard king Alboino to whom it is said was
offered a sweet bread from the forms of a peaceful bird, just a dove.
Many are the legends of its origins but if instead we want to
refer to the established history of this dessert we must move to the
beginning of 1930 thanks to an idea of the then director of advertising
for the Motta factory, Dino Villani who proposed an initiative that
proved successful.
Ingredients
The dough for the colomba is made with flour, eggs, sugar, natural
yeast and butter; it usually contains candied peel. The dough is then
fashioned into a dove shape and finally is topped with pearl sugar and
almonds before being baked. Some manufacturers produce other versions
topped with chocolate.