The Sportella

 Ingredients
 makes six sportelle: 1 kg flour, 500 g sugar, 100 g butter, 6 eggs, 2 sachets baking powder, half glass milk, grated rind 1 lemon, handful aniseed seeds, some coloured nib sugar.

 Preparation
 beat eggs, sugar and grated lemon rind with a whisk. Add flour bit by bit, with baking powder and melted butter, and mix. With the dough rough into a ball, adding flour if necessary, and working it quickly for a short time. Leave to rest for at least an hour, the cut it into six pieces of the same size and roll each piece into a long, cylindrical shape and shape them into a horse shoe, then join the two ends together and cross them over. Flatten a little the figure and brush with beaten egg yolk mixed with a little water, then sprinkle with some nib sugar before baking in the oven at 180°. In the modern recipe, once baked, a boiled egg is placed inside the Sportella.

Interesting facts

The Sportella represents the female sexual symbol and anciently this bread, as well as the Cerimito were made with a dough akin to Easter schiaccia ones and were used as a declaration of love among young people. The young man, on the morning of Palm Sunday did reach to the girl he loved a basket full of flowers and a Cerimito inside (bread depicting male sexuality), if the girl accepted the present which meant she also accepted the man's love, then on Easter Sunday she sent to him a blessed Sportella with a ribbon round it. 
Unfortunately this custom has disappeared for a long time, as well as the custom of preparing the Cerimito has almost disappeared, while it remains the custom of preparing the Sportella as traditional cake on Easter celebrations. The original recipe was modified and adapted to modern tastes.

Feast of Sportella

Feast of Sportella

Every Easter Monday the feast of Sportella takes place in the Hermitage of Santa Caterina in Rio nell'Elba.

The Cerimito

The Cerimito

Old Easter cake, has almost disappeared in its traditional custom in towns Rio Marina and Rio nell'Elba. 

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