Honoring the Past on Il Giorno dei Morti

While in the U.S. glowing jack-o-lanterns light the way for children as they scurry from house to house for candy, in Italy the streets are empty. The festivities take place the following days on November 1st, All Saints Day (Ognissanti), and on November 2nd, Day of the Dead (Giorno dei Morti).

Although they fall on different dates, both Halloween and All Saints Day originate from the same Celtic traditions. For the Celts, the new farming year began on November 1st. It marks the transition from the season of life and harvest to winter, when nature sleeps. On the night of October 31, also known as Samahain, spirits were said to walk the earth. Once Christianity took over Pagan cults, the Samahain celebrations were turned into the Christian feast days of November 1st and 2nd. 

In Italy, many pay tribute to the dead with a visit to church and to the cemetery. Families are reunited at the table with meals of seasonal foods of pumpkin, polenta with squash, or gnocchi dei morti, made with squash or sweet potato dressed in butter, cinnamon and grated cheese.

As ancient tradition held that fava beans were a means of communication between the living and the dead, the appearance of these fave dei morti on the 2nd of November should be no great surprise. Other almond based sweets include ossa dei morti or dita dei morti, shaped like bones and teeth! And remember, while the name Il Giorno dei Morti might sound a little macabre, for Italians it's another celebration day!

Le fave dei morti - Beans of the Dead Cookies

Makes about 35 small cookies

100g (1/2 cup) Hazelnuts

150g (3/4 cup) blanched Almonds

350g (1 3/4 cups) Sugar

30g (2 1/2 tbsp) Flour

2 Egg Whites

Pinch either of Anise Seeds or Cinnamon or a little Lemon Zest as preferred

Place all dry ingredients into a food processor and work until ingredients are very finely ground. Slowly add the egg whites and process until mixture comes together. Wrap the mixture in plastic wrap and leave to rest in a cool place for at least two hours. Now you're ready to form the dough into small cookies. Generously flour a work surface and roll out thin sausages of dough, then cut into gnocchi-sized pieces. Cover a cookie sheet with oven parchment, roll the pieces of dough in flour, flattening them ever so slightly, and place on the cookie sheet and leave to rest for a further two hours. When you're ready, bake at 150°C / 300°F for 15 minutes.

Be sure you make extra! It is said that between the nights of November 1st and 2nd, the deceased relatives return to the places they did when alive. It is common in some parts of Italy to leave out an extra plate at the dinner table. Buon Appetito!