pesche

The plural for peach, pesca, but also a soft airy pastry popular in Central Italy since the 19th century. Prato in Tuscany claims the original version, invented in 1861 for a celebration in honour of the unification of Italy, using sweet buns soaked in alchermes to give them a peachy pink colour and filled with custard.

They often appear in Umbrian pasticcerie (Assisi is especially famous for them) in a variety of flavours and are popular for breakfast.