 | |
| Type | Focaccia |
|---|---|
| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Region or state | Rimini, Emilia-Romagna |
| Main ingredients | Raisins, almonds, walnuts, pine nuts |
Piada dei morti (lit. 'piada of the dead') is a sweet focaccia topped with raisins, almonds, walnuts, and pine nuts.[1][2] It is local to Rimini, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy,[3][4][5] and traditionally eaten in November for All Souls' Day.[1][6]
Though its name suggests that it is a piadina,[1][5] a traditional flatbread also native to Romagna, piada dei morti is a sweet focaccia,[1][2] a soft bread.[2] The association with piadina arises from the piada dei morti's circular shape.[7]
The bread is topped with raisins, almonds, walnuts, and pine nuts.[1][2] The dried fruit must be topped rather than inside the dough. In traditional recipes, piada dei morti contains grape must,[4][7] though modern recipes soak the raisins in Sangiovese wine instead.[1][7]
Piada dei morti is usually served warm,[2][7] for breakfast or as an afternoon snack.[7] It is traditionally eaten in November for All Souls' Day,[1][6] but appears from October,[3][7] including for Rimini's patronal feast, San Gaudenzo, on 14 October,[6][8] and during Halloween trick-or-treating.[2]
The origins of piada dei morti are contested.[9] In local folklore, the bread is attributed to ancestral recipes from the times of the Celts in Romagna,[1][10] or the Senones.[3][11] On the night of Samhain, mischievous nocturnal domestic elves known as the Mazapégul would visit houses while the spirits of the dead would return to their homes and towns.[1] Piada dei morti emerged as a seasonal delicacy to welcome the deceased spirits.[1][10]
Others attribute the bread to Ciro Brunori, a pastry chef at the Antica Pasticceria Vecchi in Rimini's Borgo San Giuliano,[12] from the early 20th century.[3]
