In his "Gatta Cenerentola," perhaps the most famous of the fables collected in "Lo cunto de li cunti overo lo trattenemiento de peccerilli," published in its first edition in precisely the year 1634, Giovan Battista Basile mentions a list of delicacies including the pastiera.

In the company of other foods, all salty, as it seems to have been in its most ancient version. Yes, but what can be considered the oldest pastiera? The possible answers are varied and, as often happens in Naples, range between myth and history, between fantasy and reality.

The number and variety of ingredients that make up the Neapolitan Easter dessert are the protagonists of the legends, all very fascinating, about its origin. Among these, the mermaid Partenopecould not be missing, always present in the stories concerning the most characteristic aspects of her city. It is said that, grateful for the harmonious singing that she always gave them, the inhabitants of the villages overlooking the gulf decided to send her, through the seven most beautiful girls of each of them, the seven most precious gifts of the nature of the place. Thus, the girls brought flour, ricotta, soft wheat, eggs, sugar, spices and orange flower water to Partenope. The mermaid, in turn, thought of giving it as a gift to the gods, who mixed the ingredients, obtaining a dessert that they found delicious.

Another narrative, again linked to the sea, sees the wives of the fishermen of the gulf leaving baskets full of the seven special ingredients on the shore, thus encouraging the return of their men safe and sound. The sea would have mixed everything and created a dessert, which welcomed the fishermen who happily returned home.

The story about the name of the Easter cake is also connected to the fishermen. In order to have nutritious food that could be preserved for the entire duration of the spring fishing trips, it is said that they brought with them what the season offered, in particular cooked wheat, which acted as a glue between the other ingredients, for which they called that final compound “'a pasta' ‘e ajer”, from which “pastiera”.

Certainly, the ingredients used all have a highly symbolic value, which connects both pagan cults relating to fertility and the rebirth of the earth in spring, particularly in honor of Ceres, and to the Christian symbolism of the return to life after death characteristic ofEaster. Wheat evokes fertility, eggs represent life, flour symbolizes wealth, ricotta represents abundance, orange blossoms recall the spring scent of the Campania countryside and, finally, sugar is sweetness, with the addition of oriental spices.

The historical certainty is that the nuns of San Gregorio Armeno, famous throughout the city, were masters in the production of pastiere. When the pastiere began to be baked, strictly on Holy Thursday, the scent spread throughout the entire neighborhood. Those delicious creations ended up on the Easter tables of the noble and most prominent families of the city, from which the nuns came and who financially supported the convent.

The first recipe, written down by Antonio Latini, is found in his book "Lo scalco alla moderna" from 1693, and features unusual ingredients such as parmesan, pepper, salt and pistachios, in addition to wheat and ricotta. Closer to the version known today is the pastiera according to Ippolito Cavalcanti, the author of “Theoretical-Practical Cuisine” of 1837.

Precisely in those years, it is said that the "sad queen" Maria Teresa of Habsburg Teschen, first wife of Ferdinand II of Bourbon, smiled in public for the first time while enjoying a slice of pastiera that her husband had made her try . The king, very fond of dessert, commented loudly on the wonderful news, regretting that to see his wife smile he would have to wait for the pastiera of the following Easter.

With its shortcrust pastry layer, filled with cooked wheat, ricotta, eggs, orange flower water and spices that vary according to taste, the pastiera is present in Easter traditions throughout Campania. Therefore it was recognized as a Traditional Agri-food Product of Campania PAT.