List of Italian desserts and pastries
This is a list of Italian desserts and pastries. Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BCE. Italian desserts have been heavily influenced by cuisine from surrounding countries and those that have invaded Italy, such as Greece, Spain, Austria, and France. Italian cuisine is also influenced by the Mediterranean climate and agriculture.
Characteristics
Italy has an extremely diverse range of cuisines, due to the large amount of influences throughout its history. Peaches, lemons, and pears are popular fruits for recipes, as well as sweet cheeses, such as ricotta and marscapone.[1] Coffee, especially espresso, are integral to Italian culture and cuisine, and is featured frequently in dessert recipes, such as tiramisu. The usage of a cold dairy dessert, such as ice cream or gelato, was introduced to the Western world through Italy.[2]
Italian desserts
A
Name | Image | Description |
---|---|---|
Affogato | Espresso served with a scoop of ice cream | |
Angel wings | Fried dough shaped into ribbons and coated in powdered sugar | |
B
Name | Image | Description |
---|---|---|
Barbajada | Drink made from whipped chocolate, milk, and coffee | |
Baxin | Sweet from Liguira, Italy utilizing anise seeds and flour | |
Biscotti | Italian biscuit, typically filled with nuts or dried fruit, or dipped in chocolate | |
Biscuit Tortoni | Ice cream made from eggs and heavy cream, sometimes containing chopped cherries or topped with minced almonds or crumbled macaroons | |
Bombolone | Italian doughnut, filled with typically chocolate, cream, or jam | |
Bruttiboni | Biscuit made from almonds or hazelnuts | |
Budino | Pudding made from milk and egg custard, typically topped with a crust or whipped-cream topping | |
C
Name | Image | Description |
---|---|---|
Camporelli | Ladyfinger-like biscuits made from sugar, flour, and eggs | |
Cannoli | Rolled, crispy dough filled with ricotta cream | |
Cartocci | Filled fried dough pastry | |
Cassata | Round sponge cake moistened with fruit juice | |
Cavallucci | Pastry made with anise, walnuts, candied fruits, coriander, and flour | |
Ciambella | Ring-shaped cake made using flour, milk, sugar, and vanilla flavoring | |
Colomba di Pasqua | ||
Confetti | Almonds covered in dyed, sugar coating | |
Crocetta of Caltanissetta | Sweet pastry made from almonds, sugar, sweet lemon purée, oranges or other fruit, pistachio and icing sugar | |
Crostata | Baked tart or pie, hailing from Naples | |
Cucidati | Fig cookie with vanilla icing | |
Cupeta | Dessert made from honey, dissolved sugar and diced almonds | |
F
Name | Image | Description |
---|---|---|
Frutta martorana | Imitation fruits made from marzipan | |
G
Name | Image | Description |
---|---|---|
Gelato | Italian dessert similar to ice cream, thicker in consistency | |
Genoise | Sponge cake made with melted butter whipped into the dough | |
Gianduja (chocolate) | Chocolate made from hazelnut cream | |
Gianduiotto | Chocolate made from sugar, cocoa, and hazelnuts | |
Granita | Italian ice dessert made from sugar, water and various flavorings | |
L
Name | Image | Description |
---|---|---|
Ladyfinger | Long biscuit, typically used in tiramisu | |
M
Name | Image | Description |
---|---|---|
Marron glacé | Chestnuts candied in sugar syrup | |
Marzipan | Confection consisting primarily of sugar, honey, and almond meal | |
Mimosa cake | Moist champagne sponge cake with a buttercream frosting | |
Mustacciuoli | Pastry with a spiced, cake-like interior, covered in chocolate |
N
Name | Image | Description |
---|---|---|
Neapolitan ice cream | Ice cream featuring three flavors: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry | |
Nocciolini di Canzo | Sweet crumbly small cookies from Canzo, in northern Italy | |
Nutella | Sweetened hazelnut spread |
P
Name | Image | Description |
---|---|---|
Pandoro | Traditional Italian sweet bread in a star-like formation | |
Panettone | Sweet bread featuring dried fruits and chocolate | |
Panforte | Chewy Italian dessert containing fruits and nuts | |
Panna cotta | Italian dessert of sweetened cream thickened with gelatin and molded | |
Panpepato | Round sweet bread with nuts and dried fruit | |
Pasticciotto | Italian pastry filled with ricotta cheese and egg custard | |
Pastiera | Neapolitan tart made with cooked wheat, eggs, ricotta cheese, and flavoured with orange flower water | |
Penuche | Fudge-like candy made from brown sugar, butter, and milk | |
Pignolata | Soft pastry, covered in chocolate and lemon-flavoured syrup or icing | |
Pinza | Traditional dessert flan with pine nuts, dried figs, raisins, fennel seeds and grappa | |
Pinza bolognese | Jam-filled pastry |
R
Name | Image | Description |
---|---|---|
Rainbow cookie | Three-layered almond-flavored Italian cookie | |
Ricciarelli | Traditional Italian biscuits – specifically, a type of macaroon |
S
Name | Image | Description |
---|---|---|
Sanguinaccio dolce | Italian pudding made from pig's blood which is made creamy and sweetened with ingredients such as chocolate, milk, pine nuts, and raisins | |
Semifreddo | Frozen dessert similar to ice cream, with the main ingredients being egg yolks, sugar, and cream. | |
Sfinge | Doughnut sprinkled with powdered sugar | |
Sfogliatella | Shell-shaped cream-filled Italian pastry originating from Campania | |
Spumoni | Molded gelato made with layers of different colors and flavors, usually containing candied fruits and nuts | |
Struffoli | Neapolitan dish made of deep fried balls of sweet dough | |
Sugoli | Dessert pudding prepared with the must of red grapes, flour and sugar, cooked slowly and then left to cool | |
T
Name | Image | Description |
---|---|---|
Taralli | Cracker similar to a breadstick--can be sweet or savory | |
Tartufo | Gelato covered and filled with melted chocolate | |
Tiramisu | Dessert made of ladyfingers dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone cheese, flavoured with cocoa | |
Torrone | Nougat made with honey, sugar, and whipped egg whites, then filled with roasted pistachios and almonds | |
Torta Barozzi | Thin, crispy cake made from chocolate and coffee | |
Torta caprese | Italian cake made with chocolate and either almonds or hazelnuts | |
Torta della nonna | Italian sweet pastry cake filled with vanilla-flavored custard and covered with pine nuts and confectioner's sugar. | |
Torta alla Monferrina | Cake made from pumpkin, or apples and sugar, with amaretti, chocolate, eggs, and rum | |
Torta delle rose | Cake made with leavened dough rich in butter and sugar, which is rolled up and placed in the baking tin, taking the characteristic shape of a basket of rosebuds | |
Torta setteveli | Chocolate cake with seven layers of hazelnut cream, hazelnut crunch, chocolate mousse, and a glaze | |
Torta Tre Monti | Dessert consisting of thin waffle slices with interwoven layers of cream, then covered in chocolate | |
U
Name | Image | Description |
---|---|---|
Uovo sbattuto | Beverage that consists of egg yolk and sugar | |
Z
Name | Image | Description |
---|---|---|
Zabaione | Dessert beverage made with egg yolks, sugar, and a sweet wine | |
Zeppole | Fried dough dessert with powdered sugar | |
Zuccotto | Semi-frozen, chilled dessert made with alchermes liqueur, cake and ice cream | |
Zuppa Inglese | Italian dessert layering custard and sponge cake | |
Zelten | Traditional Italian fruitcake served during Christmas | |
Italian pastries
- Baci di Dama
- Baicoli
- Biscotti[3]
- Biscotti Regina
- Bocconotto
- Bombolone
- Cannoli
- Ciarduna
- Nocciolini di Canzo
- Pandoro
- Pevarini
- Pignolata
- Pignolo
- Pizzelle
- Sfinge
- Sfogliatelle
- Torta caprese
- Zeppole
- Zippuli
- Sfogliatelle are shell-shaped filled pastries native to Italian cuisine.
- Zeppole is a pastry consisting of a deep-fried dough ball that is dusted with powdered sugar and sometimes filled with various sweets.
See also
References
- Sert, Ayşe Nevi̇N (30 November 2017). "Italian Cuisine: Characteristics and Effects". Journal of Business Management and Economic Research. 1 (1): 49–57. doi:10.29226/jobmer.2017.4.
- "Italians, Chinese, Arabs – who invented ice cream?". South China Morning Post. 18 June 2020.
- "Definition of biscotti in English". Oxforddictionaries.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
External links
- Media related to Sweet food of Italy at Wikimedia Commons