Pasticciotto Leccese: History of Salento's Pastry

Who invented the pasticciotto?

The pasticciotto leccese is a traditional sweet from Salento, invented in Galatina by pastry chef Nicola Ascalone in 1745.

It was June, and the patronal feast of Saints Peter and Paul was approaching. The town would become very lively for the occasion, and the pastry chef wanted to create something unique and special to sell in large quantities to the guests attending the feast. That day he found himself with some scraps of pastry left over from previous batches, and he had the idea of making small copper moulds to prepare mini cakes filled with cream. Thus the pasticciotto was born!

The pasticciotto today

The pasticciotto leccese is a dessert made of shortcrust pastry filled with cream and baked in special copper moulds: a truly delicious and tempting snack. Today it can be found in all the pastry shops and bars of Salento, as the ancient tradition of coffee and pasticciotto is unlikely to disappear in these parts.

The most creative bakers prepare it with various creams, such as chocolate cream, Nutella or black cherries. But if you have never had a pasticciotto before, start with the classic cream! It is still the star of breakfast in the heel of Italy.

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