PASTIERA NAPOLETANA (Easter Pie) 10 Inch Size
La Pastiera is a delicious ricotta cheese and grain pie, a very old Neapolitan specialty for the Easter season. It is made from a recipe which has two particular ingredients, making it unique: moisture taken from the orange tree blossom (also known to the Italians as "acqua di arance" or "fior di arance") and cooked wheat. This classic Neapolitan pastry has a sweet crust ("pasta frolla") filled with ricotta, candied fruit (we do not add this ingredient in our baked version), pastry cream and cooked wheat berries, and is scented with orange flower water.
For an unparalleled culinary experience, La Pastiera, the iconic Neapolitan Easter pie, truly shines after a period of patient maturation. Its exquisite flavors are best savored between one and three days following its baking. During this essential resting phase, a remarkable alchemy occurs: the distinct notes from the sweet ricotta, the tender wheat berries, and the delicate aromatic essence of orange blossom water intricately weave together. This allows their individual fragrances to fully meld and deepen, culminating in that extraordinarily complex and "heavenly" flavor profile that is the hallmark of a perfectly crafted Pastiera. It is precisely this profound flavor development that underpins the cherished tradition of preparing Pastiera on Holy Thursday or Good Friday, ensuring it reaches its peak of perfection just in time to grace the Easter Sunday dessert table, offering a truly unforgettable culmination to the festive meal.
PASTIERA INFO:
Available in its traditional 10 inch diameter round size only.
Pastiera needs to be kept refrigerated and typically lasts for a week. It is best served at room temperature. You may freeze precut slices, thaw & serve when desired.
IN-STORE PICK UP ONLY
Please keep in mind that we DO NOT ship the Pastiera. We do not offer delivery either. We do not give refunds to those who did not pick up their Pastiera prepaid order.
It will be available for pick-up on Saturday (6am-2pm), the day before Easter Sunday. We are closed on Easter Sunday.
You may place your online prepaid orders early and we will reserve the Pastiera for you to pick up on Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday.
THE STORY:
The modern pastiera was probably invented in a Neapolitan convent. An unknown nun wanted that cake, symbol of the Resurrection, to have the perfume of the flowers of the orange trees which grew in the convent’s gardens. She mixed a handful of wheat to the white ricotta cheese, and then she added some eggs, symbol of the new life, some water which had the fragrance of the flowers of the spring time, candied citron and aromatic Asian spices.
So it should come as no surprise that a pie filled with wheat berries is an almost obligatory part of the Easter menu in most of southern Italy. Though the official name of this pie is Pastiera Napoletana, many Italian Americans also refer to it as Pizza di Grano -- meaning grain or wheat pie.