The Lucanian pastarelle are much more than a simple breakfast cookie: they are a piece of Basilicata’s history that smells like home and celebration.

In the past, during Lent, strict dietary rules were often observed (frequently without eggs and animal fats). Making pastarelle marked the return to “richness”: the abundance of eggs in the dough was the way to celebrate the Resurrection and the end of the fast.

These iconic “big cookies”, famous for their incredible dunking ability, have deep roots in peasant culture and become absolute protagonists especially during the Easter period.

At the end of Lent, Lucanian kitchens would (and still do) fill with the pungent smell of baking ammonia, an unmistakable sign that gifts are being prepared for relatives and friends.

It was traditional to prepare large quantities of pastarelle during Holy Week to give to relatives, neighbors and especially to baptism sponsors (the “Santi”).

They were often packed in straw paper bags or woven baskets, becoming the Easter gift par excellence among village families.

Although the classic shape is the elongated “big cookie”, at Easter it was common to shape the dough into more elaborate forms:
Braided: a symbol of union.
Ring-shaped (scarcelle): evoking the crown of thorns or the cycle of life.
With a hard-boiled egg: in some areas a hard-boiled egg was set into the top of the pastarella and held by two strips of dough in a cross, a symbol of rebirth.

The simplicity of the old ingredients — eggs, sugar and oil — lends itself perfectly to a gluten-free version.

In many Lucanian towns, Easter morning breakfast is a real feast.

Alongside savory foods (such as the pizzola or salami), pastarelle are never missing: they served to “cleanse” the palate and were often dunked in sweet wine or fresh milk.