Historical recipes

Candied violets

Frederick, Duke of Swabia particularly loved this amusing and refined sweet; ironically, the violet became, in the last few centuries, symbol of Parma, the very city where he was defeated.

  • Time

    30 minutes

  • Difficulty

    Difficult

  • Course

    Desserts and Fruit

  • Italian Region

    Emilia-Romagna

Ingredients

  • 50 violets
  • water to taste
  • granulated sugar to taste

Preparation

20 minutes preparation + 10 minutes cooking

Carefully wash the violets with their stalks and allow to dry on a dish towel. Weigh the violets and measure out an equal weight of sugar. Pour the sugar into a casserole with a few drops of water, heat slowly, stirring continuously, until the sugar has turned a golden-colour.

When the sugar is ready, dip the violets into it holding onto the stalks, cover them well with the sugar and lay them to dry on a lightly-oiled surface. Serve at the end of a meal with the coffee or use to decorate cakes and sweets.