Spongata di Brescello

Spongata belongs to that category of Italian sweets that existed before sugar arrived from the East, when honey was the only sweetener and spices were treasures. The name likely derives from the Latin *spongia*, referring to the porous, honeycomb texture of the filling. In Brescello, along the Po River, families have made this for Christmas since at least the fourteenth century, probably longer.

The filling is dense, almost confection-like: toasted almonds, walnuts, and pine nuts bound with honey, softened breadcrumbs, and candied citrus peel. The spicing is medieval in character, warm with cinnamon and cloves but also sharp with black pepper. This surprises Americans, but pepper in sweets is ancient and correct. The combination creates something that tastes of another time, when the boundaries between sweet and savory were less rigid.

The pastry must be thin, almost translucent when rolled. It shatters when you bite through to the dense, chewy filling beneath. This contrast is the soul of spongata. Thick pastry ruins everything. What you keep out is as significant as what you put in.