The Torciglione Umbro Christmas Sweet is a dessert made with almonds, eggs, and sugar. It is kneaded by hand into the shape of a coiled snake. During Christmas, I love to prepare the traditional sweets from my region, such as the Fave dei morti traditional biscuits or the mixed nut brittle and the pandoro star with tiramisù. The torciglione is a dessert that can be prepared well in advance.
Every home has its traditions; in some recipes candied fruit or chocolate is added to the dough, but in my personal version, I’ve mixed only almond paste. If you try the recipe, let me know in the comments.
If you’re looking for other Christmas sweets not to miss, check these out:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Expensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 3
- Cooking methods: Oven, Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
- Energy 996.80 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 128.58 (g) of which sugars 111.06 (g)
- Proteins 24.00 (g)
- Fat 50.44 (g) of which saturated 3.84 (g)of which unsaturated 44.32 (g)
- Fibers 13.00 (g)
- Sodium 52.94 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 220 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups almonds
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- as needed lemon zest
- 2.5 oz egg whites
- as needed almond flavor
- 3.5 oz candied cherries
- as needed almonds
- as needed sprinkles
Tools
- 1 Mixer
How to Make the Torciglione Umbro Christmas Sweet
Start by toasting the almonds in a pan, it will take about 5 minutes, then let them cool. Continue by grinding them into a powder in a mixer, (in my case I used the blades of the Bimby).
In a large bowl, combine the ground almonds with the sugar, bitter almond flavor, and grated lemon zest.
Meanwhile, beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the almond mixture.
Once you have a homogeneous dough, divide the mixture into two.
Form two coiled snakes, then decorate them.
Let your imagination run wild, alternate candied cherries with almonds, then bake at 300°F for about 30 minutes.
Storage of the Torciglione Umbro Christmas Sweet
The Torciglione Umbro can be stored under a cake dome for up to 10 days at room temperature. You can add candied fruit or chocolate chips to the dough.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
How did the legend of the Torciglione Umbro originate?
It is a typical sweet from the Umbria region, particularly from the Perugia area and Lake Trasimeno. Its name derives from its spiral shape reminiscent of a snake or eel.
Some sources say that the Torciglione Umbro was created by the nuns of the Isola Maggiore of Trasimeno, who invented it to deceive the pope’s high prelates who arrived on a Friday after a frost and requested fish. Having no fish available, the cooking nun improvised a recipe in the shape of an eel with some ingredients from the pantry. SOURCE
Watch the video recipe of the Torciglione Umbro Christmas Sweet
