Sweetness, taste, history, and tradition blend from October 14 to 16 in the historic center of Mantua to bake the first great Festival of Mantuan sweets
The first edition of Sbrisolona&Co., the Festival dedicated to Sbrisolona and typical Italian sweets takes place from October 14 to 16 in the center of Mantua, the heart of Eastern Lombardy, awarded as European Region of Gastronomy.
The Festival aims to celebrate the centuries-old pastry tradition of Mantua and the Lombardy area, also offering an overview of all the typical sweets from other Italian regions, as well as a special area reserved for artisanal chocolaterie. The purpose of the initiative is to make the city recognized as one of the national capitals of sweets, since this territory holds centuries-old traditional excellences, which in some cases intertwine between history and legend with the historical events that have involved Mantua over the centuries.
The undisputed protagonist will certainly be the sbrisolona, name says it all, a true Italian cult, which bite after bite becomes indispensable; those who taste it can no longer do without it. It takes its name from the characteristic “crumbly” texture, which makes enjoying it down to the last crumb even more delightful.
Lovers of softness and fluffiness cannot help but love the “anello di monaco” (monk’s ring), another cornerstone of Mantuan pastry, where a filling of toasted almonds and hazelnuts gives a strong flavor to the lightness of a leavened dough, finished with the delicacy of a thick sugary glaze.
The origin of the very fragrant torta delle rose (rose cake) goes back to 1490, when on the occasion of the wedding of the lord of Mantua Francesco II Gonzaga, the court pastry chefs created this dessert to honor the young bride Isabella d’Este, with a creation that resembled a floral bouquet: it is said that the cake was so appreciated by the banquet guests that it entered by right into the repertoire of the city’s sweets.
The torta greca (Greek cake), almond-based, despite the name which comes from the Jewish pastry chef who arrived from Thessaloniki and introduced it to the city, is instead a great classic of the dessert culture of this territory, as well as the torta Elvezia (Helvetia cake), a marvel composed of three layers, imported at the end of the 1700s by the Swiss pastry chefs Putscher, who moved to Mantua from the German-speaking Canton.
Mantuan pastry is so rich and complex that it can also satisfy all those intolerant to gluten thanks to the torta sabbiosa (sandy cake), which, even though gluten-free, certainly does not lack in taste and indulgence: it is no coincidence it is also called the “torta del 3” (cake of 3) for the weight of the various ingredients used to prepare it.
To discover all the other excellent sweets, just come to Sbrisolona&Co., the festival of sbrisolona and Italian sweets.
The event is promoted by Confcommercio Mantova with the patronage and contribution of the Municipality of Mantua and the Chamber of Commerce of Mantua, organized by SGP Grandi Eventi, with the contribution of Regione Lombardia.
