Despite their dedication to Italy, rainbow cookies are not found in Italy; they’re an American creation. This article explores the origins of these cookies and their connection to Italian culture.
Rainbow cookies, also called Venetian or Neapolitan cookies, are delightful three-layered sponge cakes, filled with jam and enveloped in dark chocolate. Their green, white, and red layers mimic the Italian flag, symbolizing a nod to Italian heritage.
However, contrary to popular belief, these cookies aren’t a traditional Italian confection. You might be surprised to learn that Italian rainbow cookies don’t actually exist in Italy. They’re a distinctly American innovation, and you won’t find them in Italian bakeries or supermarkets.
This is just one of the many Italian-American specialties that are unknown in Italy. Click to delve into Italian-American dishes absent from Italian cuisine!
So, why are these cookies dedicated to Italy, and do Italians have any similar treats? As you continue reading, we’ll explore these intriguing questions and uncover the true story behind the American fascination with rainbow cookies and their supposed Italian roots.
Do Italians have Rainbow Cookies?
No, we don’t. In Italy, you can find different types of cookies and sweets, but rainbow cookies don’t exist here. Furthermore, traditional Italian desserts do not contain food coloring, so this kind of biscuits wouldn’t meet the tastes of many people.
If you are spending your holidays in Italy and you are craving sweets similar to rainbow cookies, don’t worry! You certainly have several options to consider:
- chocolate log;
- diplomatic cake (puff pastry or sponge cake layers filled with custard cream and whipped cream);
- Neapolitan cookies with sour cherries;
- Sandwich cookies stuffed with chocolate or jam.
Italian pastries are famous all over the world. Light and foamy creams, fluffy cakes, crumbly biscuits, and various fillings… Don’t be shy and enter an Italian pastry shop! There you can find so many sweets, pies, and desserts that you won’t be nostalgic for rainbow cookies!
Maybe Rainbow Cookies are found only at Christmas in Italy?
No, they don’t. Pandoro and panettone are the typical sweets that Italians eat during the Christmas holiday. Pandoro is a leavened cake prepared with butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla flavoring and it is served sprinkled with powdered sugar or accompanied by a mascarpone cream.
Panettone is another typical Christmas food in Italy, a leavened cake with raisins and candied fruit inside. At Christmas, it’s not common for Italian people to eat biscuits as a dessert, and usually, in addition to pandoro and panettone, at the end of the meal, they eat dates and dried fruits.
In regions like Tuscany, a traditional Christmas treat is enjoying cantucci with vin santo. Discover more about this and other Tuscan culinary traditions in our detailed post about Tuscan sweets.
So what is the origin of Rainbow Cookies?
These cookies were born in the early 1900s in the United States to pay homage to the Italian communities in the US. This is why they are called “Venetian cookies” or “Neapolitan cookies”, they are named after two famous Italian cities, Venice and Naples.
Rainbow cookies are very tasty cookies and they are also beautiful to look at, because of their colorful sponge cake layers and crunchy chocolate coating. Although they are dedicated to Italy, Italians do not know them because they are not sold in Italy.
If you are in Italy on vacation, don’t waste time looking for rainbow cookies in a pastry shop or in a supermarket, because you will not find them. Instead, try some local sweet treats: we are sure that they won’t make you regret rainbow cookies!
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