Here’s another sweet that is only produced during the Easter period. La Colomba literally means “The Dove”, and just like the Panettone and the Pandoro eaten over the Christmas / New Year’s holidays, it too can be eaten, but most people prefer to use it as a sort of “Thank you and happy holidays” currency.

“Oooh, how nice! Look honey, Zia Assuntina gave us a colomba! (now go stack it in the back with the other ones)” You can be sure to receive at least two or three . . . and can then move them right along as gifts to relatives but most importantly to those people whom you in turn need to thank. (The commercial accountant who resolved that nightmare bureaucratic situation, your auto mechanic who stayed open to fix your car last minute that Saturday afternoon, the post office worker who closed an eye on the past-due filing date of that form, etc.)

So giving them away is not a problem . . . actually, that’s the whole idea. Colomba is musical chairs in reverse, essentially; you don’t want to be stuck with any when the music (holiday) ends. Besides, how many colombe are you going to eat anyways? Over the whole Easter week holiday even a family of four is unlikely to go through an entire one.

Maybe it’s the candied fruit (unlikely it ever was fruit to being with), or that once opened a colomba dries out pretty quickly and then feels like you’re eating sponge (a good solution in this case is to toast it and give it a 3/4 inch layer of Nutella, a chocolate hazelnut spread). Regardless, it is a permanent fixture in the Italian Holiday-Food continuum that you are happy to see one month a year (but not too sad that you don’t the remaining 11).