INTERNATIONAL: ITALY: Puglia Easter Fair - Cuddura (donut)

March 27th this year 2016

Santa Cesàrea Terme (Lecce) pays tribute to the ring-shaped, deep-fried cuddrura, an Easter sweet which was traditionally made at home; you can track it down in 

bakeries during this period in Italy.  (PHOTOS and recipe BELOW)

The term cuddura derives from the ancient Greek κολλύρα ( kollura ) which means crown and originally meant underlined its shape. Today the name cuddura tends to a real Italianisation, but it is an original dialectic of  Southern Italy, spread with all its variations in Sicily, Calabria, Puglia and part of Basilicata as well as of Campania. There are a lot of Greek settlers and citizens in southern Italy. The donut shape once served to the shepherds and to travelers to stick it in the stick or arm and carry it comfortably with them on their long journeys.

The term cuddura is the basic form from which they derive all the different spelling changes regarding individual production areas but identify specific products from the oven that are similar but sometimes even in different forms and ingredients. Some of these products have been recognized as PAT (traditional italian products) Below is a list of names and products with which it is known the cuddura:

• Sicily
  • Cuddura cull'ova or pani cu 'the ovu or aceddu cu' l'ova
  • Cuddura San Paulu (PAT)
  • Cuddureddi (PAT)
  • Cudduredda or Cuddrureddra
  • Cudduruni
  • Cuddrireddra (PAT)
  • Pupi cull'ova (PAT)
• Calabria
  • Cucùlu
  • Cuddura with lard
  • Cuddhuraci or ' Nguti (PAT), or pupa
  • Cuddrurieddru or Cullurialli
  • Cuddracci
• Puglia
• Cuddhrure or Puddhriche (PAT)
• Cuddhura cu o
• Puddhica cu o
• Palomba or Palummeddhra
• Panareddhra
• Pupu cu l'ovu

The "cuddrura" is a sweet typical Calabrian, Puglian, Sicilian, Campanian and Basilicatian Easter donut.  By geographic area it takes a different name: cuddrura, Cuzzola, cuzzupa. Made sweet or savory with salami or other ingredients for sweet. Most traditionalists can taste the salami, the kids prefer it with Nutella, there are those who, at breakfast the dunk in milk. Ingredients: 1kg of flour, 250 gr. of sugar, 4 eggs, 125 g butter, 200 gr. of whole milk, grated rind of one lemon, 3 tablespoons anise liqueur, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 2 packets of yeast, 1 beaten egg to decorate. Preparation: In a bowl beat the eggs with the sugar until frothy. Add the lemon zest, the liquor, the softened butter, milk. Then add the flour mixed with baking powder, vanilla and knead.  The dough must be smooth. Shaping two pieces of dough at a time, in the form of a loaf and braid. Join the two ends forming a "cuddrura" (donut). Brush the cuddrura with a beaten egg and put it in the oven (hot) to 180 C or 356 F, letting it cook for about 45 minutes. buona Pasqua