Have you ever asked yourself what Italians eat at Easter?  Me neither.  But we should have.  Loudly.  Publicly.  And with dramatic hand gestures for added authenticity.  Because the answer is one of the tastiest treats the world of baked goods has to offer.  The proverbial manna sent straight from heaven.  Colomba di Pasqua!  Come down to Limoncello today to begin your Colombaeatucation.

Easter Bread

When we think of Easter and food most of us think first of chocolate Easter eggs.  It’s understandable.  They seem to appear in every shop shortly after Valentine’s day has passed.  They can seem insidious.  Like they’ve always been there.  Hiding.  Just waiting for their turn to come out of the back rooms and warehouses and jump onto the shelves.

But they are actually a relatively modern innovation.  And a product not of culture and longstanding tradition.  But of crass commercialisation of the much simpler Easter traditions of painting up real eggs for display.  If you want authentic Easter food, look instead to baked goods.

Many cultures specialise in producing bready treats at Eastertime.  Across the English speaking world hot cross buns are all the rage.  My cousins in New Zealand eagerly await shipments of home baked hot cross buns from their mother here in England every year.

But for Italians, baked goods at Easter mean only one thing:

Colomba di Pasqua

Colomba is Italian for Dove.  A bird which has taken on the symbolism of international peace in our modern world.  This in turn derives from its symbolism in Christianity of a deep, spiritual inner peace of the quiet, reflective mind.  And is a common symbol for the Holy Ghost, a key part of the Holy Trinity of Christian Theology.

To the highly religious traditional Italian viewpoint, associating the dove with the most important religious celebration of the ecclesiastic calendar was obvious.  As was using it as a great excuse to create a truly wonderful sweet baked treat.  After all, what better way to get young kids to look forward to a boring religious event they don’t understand the importance of than with cake?  And if the adults just happen to really love the dove shaped sweet treat too, well…what can you do?

In many ways Colomba is an Italian version of a fruitcake, and is closely related to the Italian Christmas sweetbread Panettone.  But as usual the devil is in the details, and the details make Colomba quite distinct.

The base of any Colomba lies with flour, eggs, sugar, yeast and butter – like many another cake.  But unlike most cake styles it is a sourdough.  It is flavoured with candied orange peel and dried fruit.  Must be glazed with sugar and almonds.  And, of course, shaped like a dove.

The best Colomba has to fly a fine line.  It must be sweet.  But not sickly sweet.  Chewy.  But not like a Wookie.  And to have its buttery richness balanced by the sharper tang of the candied fruit.  Finding a top quality commercially available Colomba is no easy task in this country.  So here at Limoncello we’ve done the hard work for you.  Stop by sometime this Easter and try some of the best Colomba you’ll taste this side of Milan.

Credit - Thomas Farley

Whenever we think about Italian culture many colourful stereotypes immediately spring to mind.  Like the way they talk very loudly with their hands.  Or the way they can be so touchy feely and prone to public displays of intense emotion.  Or perhaps the way they’re always late and are completely unable to form an orderly queue.

From an Englishman’s perspective this can make Italian culture…something of an acquired taste.  But there’s one aspect of Italian culture that we in England can all get aboard with.  No, it’s not their coffee – though I think it’s great!  It’s the food!

Anyone who’s been on holiday to Italy can tell you the truth.  The food on offer there is so much better and more exciting than the pale imitations and bland versions you can find worldwide.  The supermarkets can pimp up their “artisanal” pasta brands all they want, but nothing beats the freshly made stuff.  And that can leave lovers of authentic Italian food in a spaghetti-like bind.

But fear not!  Introducing…

Limoncello

We’re a small, independently owned Italian Delicatessen, bistro and cocktail bar on Mill Road, Cambridge.  And we’re here to make your life more Italian!  Come to us for the warmest greetings a socially distanced world will permit.  And the most authentic slice of Italian culture in England that can be found.

It is our quest in life to teach the English how to channel their inner Italian.  Come to us for the most outrageous and theatrical of promises.  Stay for the quality.  And the flirting.

Within our magnificent abode you’ll fine only the best of Italian products, all sourced directly from the sweet bosom of mother Italy.  Sure, you can get a jar of pesto down the supermarket.  Or some salami.  But not Limoncello quality pesto or salami.  And if you want to recreate that exquisite Italian cuisine you had on holiday, you need the best quality of ingredients.

But don’t just take our word for it.  We’re not just here to sell you high quality authentic edible Italian luxuries.  But also, to educate you on why our products are so good and what you could use them for. We call this eatucation.  And for that look no further than our bistro.  Every dish we make is made from products sold in the deli.  Making the perfect opportunity to try before you buy!

But where to start?  There’s just too much to choose from!  Fear not!  We’ve decided to start up a blog talking about some of our favourite products and what you can use them for.  Starting with our favourite pesto – the Pesto of the Gods!

Pesto of the Gods

We all know pesto.  That Italian classic sauce originating in Genoa, in Liguria.  A coarse blend of fresh basil, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper.  Toss it in with some fresh, handmade pasta and the right pesto can elevate the dish from satisfying to divine.  Or perhaps you want to drop a dollop in a soup.  Spread it on some fresh bread in place of butter.  Or maybe lift up some steamed vegetables to make it a family favourite.

The key with pesto is to use it sparingly.  Using too much will come to dominate the taste and texture of a dish.  It’s not gravy, to be poured liberally over everything in sight.  So a good pesto is potent stuff.  It needs to be formidable.  To have a taste powerful enough to titillate the tastebuds.  So that small quantities can cause big explosions.

This is a problem for supermarkets.  As shops of mass appeal, they can’t justify selling niche products with a taste they deem too extreme.  Since it may put off casual customers.  Another example is in curries.  You want a really hot, blow-your-mouth-back to India curry, you can’t get it in the supermarket.

But Limoncello is not so restrained.  We sent our professional taste testers all across the Italian peninsula to sample the finest pesto the country has to offer.  And though mama always makes it best, we had to settle on a pesto with zing which is available in quantity for our customers.  So introducing our official Pesto of the Gods, Pesto Ligure from Sapori D’Italia.

Join us in Limoncello on Mill Road to try before you buy.

Credit - Thomas Farley 

As our regulars are well aware, we have been busy over the last year updating, renovating, repurposing and restyling. We have taken the opportunity to do some really cool stuff that without the time and breathing room covid has given us may have taken much longer to come to fruition.

Our proudest and most obvious change has been the addition of The Sunset Garden. With the new very fancy (and very expensive) gazebo now set up we are ready to accommodate all our covid friendly activities and events and we have some exciting things planned for this space - live music, performances and more so watch this space.

The font of the house has also seen a reshuffle without a new counter signed and built by master carpenter (Oliver Hascouhasquoet, which now houses our bespoke coffee machine with all the bells and whistles - the envy of any true coffee aficionado. 

As for the more subtle changes we have updated our kitchen as we set our sights on more ambitious cuisine to tantalise  our diners taste buds.

And last but not least the humble loo, that has served faithfully for more than 2 decades and put up with a lot of... abuse has received a well deserved make-over. 

As for the future who knows, we have great aspirations and look forward to you coming along with us on the journey.

Credit: Theo Turvill