3 Fun Facts About Italian Father's Day
3 Fun Facts About Italian Father's Day
Hi friends! Well, summer’s almost officially here and we are full steam ahead on our preparations for Father’s Day. If you haven’t checked out our recipe roundup make sure you take a look! We’ve got tons of ideas for main courses, drinks and desserts to celebrate your favorite dads (sons and husbands too!)
Today, we thought it would be fun to peek at some Father’s Day traditions in Italy. As you’ll see, the date is totally different, but love, fun and delicious food are all very much involved, just like here in the United States. Here are 3 facts you should know about one of our favorite holidays.
1. Italians celebrate Father’s Day on March 19th; the same day as St. Joseph’s Day.
Father’s Day, perhaps appropriately, coincides with the Festa di San Guiseppe or “The Feast of St. Joseph”. This feast is in honor of Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary and the “earthly father figure” of Jesus.
According to An American in Rome, over the years the religious origins of “Festa del Papa”, have faded away over time into more of a general celebration of fatherhood. Favors, little gifts and of course plenty of sweet treats are commonplace today!
2. Cards and poetry are a big part of the day.
Just as they do to celebrate Festa de la Mamma, schoolchildren all over Italy create special cards and drawings for their dads, often accompanied by original poetry.
Even though Festa del Pappa falls during the week and not on Sunday, families enjoy a special meal together. Which, Life in Italy tells us, centers around cakes and biscuits rather than savory fare. Sounds good to us!
3. Fried treats are everywhere on Italian Father’s Day.
Bignè di San Giuseppe are italian cream puffs, fried to a lovely golden brown, filled with pastry cream and covered with just a light dusting of confectioner’s sugar. They are also virtually synonymous with Festa di San Guiseppe. And that’s not all! At street festivals all over Italy, you’ll find donuts, fried cakes and pastries ready to be snatched up by passersby.
That’s not to say that ice cream and chocolate have no place at the Father’s Day table.
If you want to whip up an Italian dessert for an All-American Father’s Day, try Affogato. It’s a ridiculously simple, but sophisticated tasting treat. Basically, ice cream doused with espresso, then topped with whipped cream.
If Dad’s more of a brownie guy, jazz up some store-bought mix with semi-sweet chocolate chips and mascarpone for out of this world Mocha Mascarpone Swirl Brownies. There’s already a teeny bit of espresso powder in the mix, but paired with a cup of steaming hot coffee, this dessert is a grand slam.
Don’t keep those dishes and traditions to yourself. Share your cards, ties, poems and desserts with us by tagging @delallofoods | #delalloeats on Instagram.
Looking for a gift idea for Dad? Skip the hardware store, avoid the shirt and tie section and please don’t go anywhere near the socks. We’re can help to make this Father’s Day delicious with our specially curated gourmet Italian food gifts.