minni di virgine

St Agatha's sliced-off breasts, sold by convents, devoured at dances! Well, well!Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, The Leopard

St Agata, patron saint of Catania, was famously martyred by having her breasts lopped off and is often shown in religious iconography, carrying her breasts like pastries on a platter. This inspired the nuns at the Monastery of Santa Caterina in Palermo to make their famous little round cakes of pasta frolla with a white glaze and with nipples of candied cherries. Sambuca di Sicilia makes some of the best.

St Agata's veil, however, is no joking matter, but comes in handy whenever Catania's famous neighbour, Mount Etna, threatens to bury it in lava and ash.