Cuccidati
Cuccidati (also known variously as Buccellati, Italian fig cookies or Sicilian fig cookies), are fig-stuffed cookies originating in Sicily, and traditionally served at Christmas time.[1][2]
 | |
| Alternative names | Italian fig cookie, Sicilian fig cookie |
|---|---|
| Type | Cookie |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Region or state | Sicily |
| Main ingredients | Figs |
The outer cookie is pastry dough, covered with icing and typically topped with rainbow sprinkles. The filling generally consists of some combination of walnuts, dates, figs, honey, spices and orange or apricot jam.[3] The pastry is rolled around the filling, and rolls are either cut into short tubes, or curved around to form a "bracelet".
The modern recipe for the cookie originated during the Muslim Rule of Sicily. However an older version of the cookie recipe was recorded as far back as the Roman occupation of Sicily.
Variations
When ring-shaped, these may be known as Buccellati, meaning "little bracelets," and are a diminutive form of Buccellato, a larger fig-filled ring cake. The ingredients are as varied as the names the cookies are called by, apparently a function of the town or region in which they are made. Other towns call them "nucciddati" (nut cookies), "zucciddati", "ucciddati", "vucciddati" and as in Serradifalco, pucciddati. That town's version includes ground figs and dates, nuts, and orange rinds.
References
- Parkinson, Anthony (2005-09-30). Italian Desserts. Lulu.com. pp. 89–. ISBN 9781411644649. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- Patent, Greg; McLean, Dave (2007-12-17). A Baker's Odyssey: Celebrating Time-Honored Recipes from America's Rich Immigrant Heritage. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 241–. ISBN 9780764572814. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- Joannie Zisk, “Cuccidati - Sicilian Fig Cookies”, The Today Show, 9 November 2015