The ''giurgiulena'', also known as ''giuggiulena'', ''cubaita'' or ''cumpittu'', is a traditional

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

nougat Nougat ( , ; ; az, nuqa; fa, نوقا) is a family of confections made with sugar or honey, roasted nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, and macadamia nuts are common), whipped egg whites, and sometimes chopped candied fruit. ...

-like candy, typical of the Sicilian cuisine and in use in a large part of Calabria. The main ingredient is sesame, which in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

and in Calabria is precisely indicated by the terms ''giuggiulena'', ''gigiolena'', ''giuggiulea'' or ''ciciulena''. The recipe is based on the composition of sesame seeds poured in honey and fixed by the

caramelization Caramelization is a process of browning of sugar used extensively in cooking for the resulting sweet nutty flavor and brown color. The brown colors are produced by three groups of polymers: caramelans (C24H36O18), caramelens (C36H50O25), and ca ...

of sugar (in an enriched version almonds and candied orange peel are also added), in the way of nougat. It takes very long to prepare, with a rest period of twenty-four hours. The ''giurgiulena'' is usually cut into diamonds or rectangles, sometimes sprinkled with colorful

sprinkles Sprinkles are very small pieces of confectionery used as an often colourful decoration or to add texture to desserts such as brownies, cupcakes, doughnuts or ice cream. The tiny candies are produced in a variety of colors and are generally use ...

and individually wrapped, sometimes above aromatic orange leaves. As with many other Sicilian and Calabrian pastries, ''giuggiulena'' is considered a legacy of the Arab pastry. The name derives from the Arabic word ''juljulàn'' (or ''giolgiolan''), which means 'sesame'. The alternative name cubaita derives instead from the Arabic term ''qubayt'' (also spelled ''qubait'' and ''qubbayt''), which means 'preserved sweet'.

References

{{Reflist Cuisine of Sicily Italian confectionery Cuisine of Calabria Italian desserts

See also

References