The Buccellato

Buccellato takes its name from the Latin name buccella, meaning bite: in fact, for the ancient Romans the buccellatum was a round bread consisting of a crown of sandwiches (buccellae). It was a Sunday dessert usually eaten after returning from mass: originally it had the shape of a donut and was taken on the forearm by inserting the hand inside the hole. Today it is also made as a loaf and inside it has an anise-flavored paste rich in raisins.

Buccellato is made all year round, but in the past it was prepared in occasion of  the Holy Cross Feast , a particular and important celebration in mid-September in Lucca.