Traditional sweet dishes

Verona is well-known for its traditional Italian Christmas cake: the famous Pandoro, made from flour, eggs, sugar and butter. A sort of sponge cake, it is much appreciated for its soft, light texture, and for its delicate flavour and fragrant aroma. Modern Pandoro was first made in 1894, by baker Domenico Melegatti and proved an instant favourite especially among people who did not like the raisins and candied fruit of Milan's Panettone. Another traditional Verona dessert, eaten during the Christmas period, is Nadalin, the medieval ancestor of Pandoro, prepared with almond flour and pine nuts, which is traditionally star-shaped. Adding butter and egg to Nadalin, however, makes Offella, another typical Christmas cake eaten in Verona.

Traditional dishes not strictly linked to Christmas are Mandorlato di Cologna Veneta, which is similar to nougat, but softer, and made with just four ingredients: honey, sugar, egg whites and almonds, added in exactly that order, and cooked for around eight hours. 

During Carnival, a very popular sweet delicacy in Verona are Frittole: made from a dough consisting of eggs, cream, milk, raisins and candied fruit that is shaped into a ball, fried in olive oil and then dusted with confectioner's sugar. 

In conclusion, a sweet dish originally from Mantua but very common in Verona is Sbrisolona cake. The name of this cake comes from the word “sbrisare” (meaning “to crumble” in local dialect), and it is distinct from other preparations because of the way it is prepared and served. In fact traditionally it is not cut into even slices, but broken up by hand. To fully enjoy the flavour of Sbrisolona cake, we recommend accompanying it with a fortified wine.