"MACCHERONI DOLCI" typical Autumn dessert
1st November in Italy is the holiday of "Tutti i Santi", while the 2nd is "I Morti" and it is dedicated to our desappeared relatives. On the 1st and the 2nd, Italians go to the cemetery to bring flowers and red candles (called lumini) to the defuncts, to pray and to take care of their tombs.
In many regions for this very short period, there are special food and cakes (for sure! ).
In Umbria we have "Fave dei Morti", amazing cookies made of flour and almonds and in Todi in particular we have "Maccheroni dolci", a very special sweet (yes, sweet !) maccheroni (the same we use with tomato sauce) with crushed wallnuts, breadcrumb, and Alchermes.
Alchermes is a special highly alcoholic liqueur. It is reputed to have been a secret recipe of the Medici family. The modern Alchermes is likely to be the development of an eighth century tonic which as well as rose-water, cinnamon, sugar and honey, was said to contain ground pearls, leaf gold, raw silk and musk.
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