3rd December - Torroncini alle mandorle
Today’s treat sounds like torrone but behaves more like a cloud. Torroncini alle mandorle are light almond bars made with whipped egg whites, sugar, ground almonds, lemon zest and a hint of cinnamon. Baked slowly, they keep a snowy-white top and a soft, gently chewy centre, with little edible rooftops dusted in winter-white meringue.
They look uncannily like Abruzzo’s snow-clad roofs seen from above, a sight that feels increasingly precious as our winters grow warmer. These sweets hold onto that memory of a “proper” Abruzzese winter, even if the real snow doesn’t always linger lower down the mountain like it once did,
Pietracamela TE © Paolo Silvestri
To confuse you across Abruzzo, you’ll hear them called both spumini and torroncini. Originally, Spumini were and are crisp meringue puffs; torroncini are their festive cousins, almond-rich, bar-shaped and finished with a soft glaze that makes them feel almost like torrone.
Now part of Abruzzo’s pastarelle tradition, they’re celebratory but straightforward biscuits for Sundays, holidays and village festas. In some mountain areas, they’re still tucked into Befana stockings or wrapped and offered at weddings for luck.
Not quite torrone, not quite a biscuit, just a delicate Abruzzese melt-in-the-mouth moment behind Door 3.
Serving Note
Perfect with a caffè corretto, Passerina spumante, Moscato Passito, or a cosy caffè d’orzo.
Almond Traditions in Abruzzo
Almonds symbolise luck and prosperity in Abruzzo, think of confetti di Sulmona. Before modern refrigeration, almond-and-sugar sweets kept well through winter; many festive dolci, from parrozzo to spumini, evolved from this tradition. Torroncini alle mandorle are likely a more recent 20th-century cousin, now firmly part of Abruzzo’s Christmas biscuit tins.
Recipe – Catch the Recipe for Torroncini alle mandorle in our Christmas Cookies Collection
View more of photographer Paolo Silvestri’s stunning capture of Abruzzo on Instagram
