Il Mandorlato is a typical sweet from Cologna Veneto. We only have it at Christmas. It's just one of those things, even though it is in the shops all year round. It's made with honey, almonds and egg whites. It is very hard and it would be unwise to eat it without softening it in some way or chopping into small pieces. We like to eat it on Christmas Eve with mascarpone and an Italian jam called Mostarda. There is a type of mostarda from Cremona which has whole candied fruits in it and another from the Veneto which is more like a jam. So we have the three Ms, mascarpone, mostarda and Mandorlato. It's a delicious combination. the Mandorlato is all that's left now in our basket of treats and quite irresistible...
I thought I could resist it,
It's been sitting there awhile
Rock hard Italian almonds
To make a dentist smile
Made with nuts and honey
And sugar by the ton
We buy it every Christmas
To add to all the fun
I put it in a basket
With all the other sweets
The chocolate and the liquorice
The Befana's lovely treats
I'd left it till the very last
So anxious for my teeth
But rustling through the papers
Lying underneath
Gleaming, shining, beckoning
Sparkling creamy White
The last piece of mandorlato
Has given great delight.
By Angie B
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| The last piece of mandorlato |
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| Mandorlato and mostarda |
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| Not much left from the Befana |
What an amusing poem! Like the bit about the dentist! It's funny how Xmas is an occasion to have some things that you only really spare for that time of year..panettone, pandoro, Xmas pudding, moscato wine, etc.
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