The preparation of the Ciambella degli Sposi (Doughnut of the Spouses), a typical biscuit from the municipality of Rocca di Papa made with simple ingredients such as flour, eggs, sugar, extra virgin olive oil (or butter), aniseed liqueur, yeast, salt and grated lemon zest, is closely connected to the marriage rite. In fact, it seems that the doughnut was brought as a gift, as a wedding favour, by the spouses’ family to relatives and friends, therefore linked to a distinctive rituality of the Rocca di Papa community. The doughnut was given following a common rule, according to numbers varying according to the degree of kinship between the guests and the bride and groom: six doughnuts for friends and neighbours those, that is, who have not received a specific invitation; eight for guests and cousins; twelve for uncles and grandparents and eighteen for the godmother. Tradition has it that the doughnuts are distributed by children, usually nieces and nephews of the couple, who receive a small tip for each delivery.
The tradition that binds it to weddings is still alive today: those who taste it wish the spouses a lasting and pleasant future, so as for the taste of this doughnut. However, consumption is not exclusively related to the wedding rite, the dessert is in fact produced and marketed daily by the numerous ovens located in the historical centre. Among the inhabitants, it is common to eat them for breakfast by dunking them in milk.
The Ciambella degli Sposi, distinguished by its round shape and sprinkling of granules of sugar on the top, is of a brown colour with golden hues. The high olfactory intensity has pronounced notes of egg, combined with hints of olive oil and liqueur. The taste is harmoniously sweet with a light salty note. Good crunchiness, chewiness and aromatic persistence.