Sospiri

Sospiri are small pastries from Bisceglie, in the southern Italian region of Apulia. A round sponge with a pointed top is filled with custard cream and coated in white sugar icing. The light sponge and soft cream are wrapped in a sugar glaze called giulebbe. In Italian, “sospiro” means “sigh.”

The egg yolks and egg whites are whipped separately and then combined. Flour is added, and the batter is piped into rounds with a piping bag and baked. A University of Bari document on traditional foods of Apulia describes how to pipe the batter while pressing the bag downward, then ease the pressure as the bag is lifted, shaping the batter into a pointed form. In one example from a Bisceglie artisan, the cream is filled into the baked and cooled sponges with a pastry injector. In that artisan’s local method, the sponge is not cut open and spread with cream; instead, the cream is put inside while the shape stays intact.

Giulebbe is a topping made by cooking sugar. In the artisan’s example, egg white and lemon are added, and the giulebbe is rewarmed when it is used to coat the pastries. Because it sets quickly, the pastries are finished quickly. Wrapping the soft, cream-filled sponge in a layer of sugar that hardens as it dries gives the outside and the inside different textures.

Stories about nuns and a wedding are told about the origin of the name. According to one, nuns made these pastries for the wedding of Lucrezia Borgia, but the bride did not appear, and the guests, tired of waiting, ate them while sighing, which gave the pastries their name. Another story says that a young pastry maker created a shape inspired by the woman he loved. Both are legends, not historical records that prove how the pastry came into being.

Pastries called sospiro are also found in Stigliano, in Basilicata, where versions filled with custard or chocolate cream are sold. In Ozieri, Sardinia, there is a pastry of the same name made with almonds. Among these, the sospiri of Bisceglie are the ones that layer sponge, cream and icing.

Glossary