Ricette di Sicilia
Cibo, cultura e tradizioni siciliane
Catania Regina Biscuits: Sicily’s Lemon-Glazed All Souls’ Treat
Discover these traditional Catanian ‘Regina’ biscuits - soft, delicately scented with lemon, and glazed to celebrate Sicily’s All Souls’ Day.
🛒 Ingredients
- ✓ 500 g plain flour
- ✓ 200 ml milk
- ✓ 100 g lard
- ✓ 100 g sugar
- ✓ 2 eggs
- ✓ 10 g baker’s ammonia
- ✓ 1 sachet vanilla
- ✓ Pinch of salt
- ✓ For the glaze: lemon juice and icing sugar
In Sicily, All Souls’ Day is marked not only with remembrance but with the gentle comfort of home baking. Among the most beloved treats prepared for the occasion are the Catania Regina biscuits - soft, delicately risen biscuits perfumed with lemon and finished with a pale, glossy glaze.
These are the sorts of biscuits that bring back the warmth of family kitchens: simple ingredients, a tender crumb, and a scent that instantly feels familiar. In many Catanian homes, they are baked in the days leading up to the 2nd of November as a sweet way to honour memory and tradition.
This recipe brings that comforting Sicilian ritual to your table, offering biscuits that are fragrant, beautifully glazed, and ideal with tea or a small glass of dessert wine.
👨🍳 Preparation
- 1
Mix together the flour, sugar, salt, baker’s ammonia and vanilla in a bowl.
- 2
Add the softened lard and the eggs, then incorporate the milk gradually until the dough becomes smooth and firm.
- 3
Cover and chill the dough in the fridge for about 1 hour.
- 4
Shape the biscuits into pieces of roughly 6 × 2 cm - finger shapes, small logs or twisted ('nturciuniati).
- 5
Place on a parchment-lined baking tray and bake at 200 °C for 10 minutes, then lower to 150 °C and bake for another 15 minutes.
- 6
Prepare the glaze by mixing icing sugar with lemon juice until thick and shiny.
- 7
Allow the biscuits to cool completely, then glaze them and leave to dry before serving.
💡 Tips and Variations
Add freshly grated lemon zest to the dough if you’d like an even brighter aroma. A drop of milk will soften the glaze if you prefer a gentler finish. For a spiced variation, mix a pinch of cinnamon into the dough.
📦 Storage
- • Store the biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- • The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before baking.
- • Keep away from humidity to preserve the glazing and texture.
🍷 Pairing
Enjoy these biscuits with a small glass of Passito from Pantelleria; its aromatic sweetness enhances both the lemon glaze and the tender crumb.
Catania Regina biscuits are a tender, nostalgic taste of Sicilian tradition - simple to make, softly fragrant and utterly comforting. Perfect with tea or dessert wine, they bring a touch of warmth to any autumn day.
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