As with any meal (indeed, for every dish!) There is a version linked to the region, the city and even the village, if not to the neighborhood, so even for Italian breakfast it is virtually impossible to draw a complete and unambiguous picture of the traditions of our country.
Cappuccino seen on the terrace of the Circe sorceress
However, there are fixed points: cappuccino is certainly one of these. Coffee combined with hot steamed milk is the drink par excellence of breakfast consumed at the bar, even if the spread of domestic coffee machines in the last thirty years allows their comfortable preparation at home. According to tradition, the name derives from the color of the drink, which is reminiscent of the habit of the Capuchin friars.
Usually combined with cappuccino is the croissant , a less fat version of the French croissant , characterized by the glaze of sugar according to the tradition born in Venice in the eighteenth century. There are fillings of all kinds: custard, cream, jams and chocolate, honey, vegans, lactose-free or specific for celiacs. The latest pistachio cream filling.
Breakfast at Il Gelatone
Roman and ancient is, on the other hand, the husk , circular in shape with a mixture enriched with sultana raisins and sometimes stuffed with whipped cream. Delicious what you can find in Il Gelatone , in La Cona, about 2 km from the sorceress. The tradition of dry biscuits from the ancient Gentilini factory is also linked to Rome . There is no child of the 60s or 70s who does not have among his memories a cup of milk in which to soak the legendary Osvego .
The preparation of the Nutella tart by our cook
Another frequent presence on the table of Italians in the morning is the tart , composed of a base of shortcrust pastry covered with jam, custard or fresh fruit. Sweet among the oldest of Italian cuisine, according to popular tradition it would be the evolution of Neapolitan pastiera , a sweet created in an ancient convent of San Gregorio Armeno, a district of Naples.
In our area the tart of sour cherries is widespread , typical of the villages of the Monti Lepini , but very common are also those in traditional flavors such as cherry, orange and the inevitable Nutella.
Freshly baked pastries from our breakfast
Last of the list is the ciambellone, a “giant” variant of the donut, which was prepared to celebrate the end of the harvest. There are countless variations of chocolate, coconut, fruit or jam. Our ciambellone, whose composition comes directly from the family recipe book, is flavored with anise.
Finally, the espresso . In fact, this typical Italian drink is often consumed even at the end of breakfast, to give a further charge for the work day.
Fresh fruit, juices, juices, yoghurts and cereals are now widespread even on Italian tables, but they represent a more recent novelty, as well as the increasingly widespread habit of consuming protein products such as eggs, ham and cheese: globalization has reached breakfast slowly but surely.
Italian or international, based on traditional products or with more modern elaborations, breakfast remains the first pleasure of the day. An even greater pleasure, if it can be consumed on vacation, looking at the sea of the Circeo.
