PREPARATION

• Prepare the dough and form the desired shape.

 

Although the preparation of this sweet is strictly tied to the Easter Holiday, its origin are found in those pagan traditions widely spread among the people of our Peninsula. The most evident proof of its "paganism" is represented, for instance, by the presence of hard boiled eggs in the dough which, in the quantity of two, symbolize the fertile testicles (in the version destined for the males - IL CASTELLO -), or the feminine breasts (in the version destined for the females - LA PUPA -). To underline further the omen of fertility in the "feminine version" of the sweet, the two eggs were often substituted by a single spot in the "belly" of the doll (almost to simulate a condition of pregnancy). As years passed, the creative inspiration of the people has allowed this sweet to assume the most disparate shapes: in the case of the "doll", it is possible to observe variations which go from the stylized shape of a puppet to that of the most sophisticated doll with breasts, arms, and legs; in the case of the "castle", the dough is shaped, from time to time, in the form of an "open donut", of a stylized horse, of a camel, and so forth. Absolutely obligatory, in both versions, the presence of the hard boiled eggs which, for their allegorical meaning, must never be absent. Once given the dough the desired form, proceed as follows:

• Butter the baking pan;
• Place dough in baking pan;
• Bake in moderate oven for about one hour;
• Prepare the frosting.

 

The preparation of the frosting (lu chiatre) is made by whipping the egg whites with a fork or an eggbeater in a pan (or bowl). During the whipping, add sugar and the vinegar or lemon juice.

Once whipped, the frosting is spread on the sweet, which has been cooled.

Once the frosting has been spread, it is decorated by multicolor sprinkles, which give the sweet its typical holiday appearance.

Allow the frosting to harden at room temperature until the next day.

It is opportune to remember that, in times of economic scarcity, "lu chiatre" was painted very thin, and for the purpose, they resorted to the use of a feather plucked from a chicken's wing. In reality we advise the consumer to spread the sweet with a generous cover of frosting in order to render the sweet more flavorful, since by its nature it is rather insipid and of a coarse consistency.