It may be a tiny, mountaintop village, but Scanno has more than its share interesting cuisine including a pastry named for local wildlife and a pasta dish that owes a lot to foraged ingredients.
Scanno is rightly proud of their brown bear population. You’ll see signs on roads reminding people to drive carefully and not hit their beloved bears.
Back in the day, shepherds around Scanno would be gone for days, moving flocks from one area to another, so they had to carry food with them. Legend has it that shepherds carrying cakes in their saddlebags were attacked by a bear. The bear, for his part, spared the shepherds but ate all the cakes.
Legend has it that shepherds carrying cakes in their saddlebags were attacked by a bear. The bear, for his part, spared the shepherds but ate all the cakes.
So, when it came time for Liborio Di Masso to name a new cake he invented in the 1970’s, Pan dell’Orso (Bear Bread) was a natural fit.
The cake itself is in a half dome shape with a dough made of flour, almonds, honey, and eggs. After it is baked, it is topped with dark chocolate.
Large Pan dell’Orso cakes are often served at weddings and you’ll see them for sale in shop windows all over town.
Liborio Di Masso’s bakery, where Pan dell’Orso was invented, is still in business. It’s by his sons and is now called Pasticceria Pan Dell’Orso. They still crank out the cakes, including a small single serving size of Pan dell’Orso.
With Pan dell’Orso, Mostaccioli di Scanno is the other popular treat from the town.
This giant cookie is made with chocolate, flour, eggs, chopped almonds, and lard or oil. The secret ingredient is citron, a rough citrus fruit that resembles a lemon. The strong oils in the peel give the Mostaccioli di Scanno extra flavor.
Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel “Truffle Hunt” (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection “That Bird.” He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides on Destination Eat Drink, including several in Italy. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms.
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