(also called or, in Sicilian, ) is a Sicilian marzipan sweet in the form of fruits and vegetables from the provinces of Palermo and Trapani.
Realistically coloured with vegetable dyes, it is said to have originated at the Benedictine nunnery of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, Palermo, known as La Martorana after its foundress, when nuns decorated empty fruit trees with marzipan fruit to impress an archbishop visiting at a season when the trees were not fruiting. It is traditionally put by children's bedsides on All Souls' Day.
See also
- Sicilian cuisine
- List of Italian desserts and pastries
References
Further reading
- Lilliana Ballina: La frutta martorana. Aurora Books, Santiago de Chile, 1992. .
- Maria Oliveri: I segreti del chiostro. Storie e ricette dei monasteri di Palermo. Il Genio Editore, 2017. , .
External links
- Martorana fruit Commercial page with image