Sweet Sereni, history and tradition between Sbrisolona and Spongata

The sweet specialties of this Mantuan reality are built upon a rather ancient cultural and culinary heritage. To start talking about the historic company Dolci Sereni, we must contextualize the territory where this “adventure of specialties” takes place. We are in Mantova, or at least, in its province. A noble city, ruled by a powerful lordship, the Gonzagas, which during the Renaissance conversed superbly with the powerful Florentine Medici and the dolphin of France.

The Gonzagas were great patrons of the arts and hosted numerous interpreters of the golden age of Italian art. A city that, besides being wisely governed, was also foresighted from an architectural point of view, and even today, one can appreciate its beauty, squares, palaces, castles, and churches. Mantova received not only beauty from the Gonzaga family but also an important gastronomic imprint that remains today a unique heritage on a global scale.

A refined cuisine made of typical local products and ingredients from the furthest lands, thanks to trade with the great Republic of Venice and the Kingdom of Naples to the south. For this reason, spices like cinnamon, in the famous tortelli made with pumpkin and almonds, became winning elements of some of the most important recipes that have come down to us today. Among them, the legendary Sbrisolona, which originated as a simple peasant dessert that families produced using the three-cup technique, one equal measure of a cup of cornmeal, a cup of white flour, and a cup of sugar. A recipe that was refined thanks to the Gonzagas, who enriched it with spices and toasted almonds.

The gastronomic culture of Mantova is still very much rooted among the people of these borderlands today. Partly Lombard, partly Veronese, partly Emilian. A piece of land from Lombardia nestled between Veneto and Emilia Romagna. Tortelli, capunsèi, sbrisolona, Mantuan salami, and many other recipes come directly from the noble desire of the Gonzaga family to always warmly welcome guests at the palace, conveying the identity of a territory, already from that time.

In this atmosphere, Dolci Sereni was born, a female-led reality that embodies a long-standing family tradition. Indeed, the project of the Pasticceria Mantova, owned by the grandfather of the current owners, Serena and Laura Ferrari, started in a small village in the low Mantuan area. Three generations have persevered in producing the ancient popular Mantuan recipes, which they still replicate today in the new artisan workshops of Bagnolo San Vito.

Serena Ferrari values her story greatly, especially emphasizing the artisanal nature of her products: “Even though progress has changed the equipment in our artisan workshops, what we can never do without are our hands! Yes, because all the processes that are done on the desserts are still practiced as they were in the past. We crumble the Sbrisolona by hand, as it has always been done here in Mantova. The people who work in our laboratory are women, mostly from Mantova, who recreate these recipes at home every Sunday and on holidays.”

A constant that never fails at Dolci Sereni, and that is repeated every year, is the choice of the best raw materials, not just the flours, butter, and sugar, but especially the search for the finest Italian almonds from the best regions like Puglia and Sicily. The spices are provided by the best selectors in Italy today.

“Our quest is a continuous search for innovation,” continues Serena Ferrari, “while always staying correctly linked to the ancient recipes of our grandfather. But we also know there’s a world out there that moves quickly. A world with needs that sometimes go beyond traditions. Let’s take, for example, vegan products or lactose-free products. The free from trend that has consolidated among Italian consumers has also changed our rigidity, and we have adapted, trying to offer traditional desserts with recipes that meet such requests. We created a lactose-free line for the sbrisolone and a vegan line for traditional desserts and the new cookie line.”

The production of Dolci Sereni, as for all our suppliers at Spaghetti & Mandolino, is not found in large distribution, but in the shops and restaurants of the HoReCa category. Yet, Dolci Sereni has managed, even for this category, to study very intriguing and useful packaging for families. The Sbrisoline, for example, in single-serve formats that become a snack while maintaining the original characteristics of this ancient typical Mantuan dessert.

The cookie line is another great strength of the Dolci Sereni laboratory. Surprising flavors and great pleasure. For Serena, making a vegan cookie does not mean taking away something good but, instead, doing research and maintaining high organoleptic quality of the product. Hence the use of spices and flavors that serve to complete a product that is rarely found this good on the market.

Since 2010, Dolci Sereni has decided to take over another historic reality of our Padana tradition. Not exactly in Mantova, but in a noble city nearby: Busseto in the province of Parma. Muggia, a historic brand of Parmense pastry that has always distinguished itself for its typical peculiarity with its most representative dessert: the Spongata.

Busseto is the homeland of all music lovers in the world: it is the land of Giuseppe Verdi, who also appears on the historic packaging of the dessert. “Acquiring Muggia,” states Serena Ferrari, “was an extraordinarily rewarding sacrifice for us, as we took care and carried a distinctive brand for the people of Parma. The Spongata is the dessert of Parma for the holidays, but above all, it is an international call to one of the greatest figures in world music. The goal was to continue the centuries-old tradition of the Spongata of Busseto and to do so without changing anything of the original recipe nor the type of packaging with which it was presented. The success we have had in these years reassures us and convinces us of what we are doing.” Serena is a petite and tough girl. One who has clear ideas and is permeated by a great passion. A wealth for her territory and a certainty for her family business. The arrival of Dolci Sereni at Spaghetti & Mandolino for us means taking a piece of that beautiful Italy that everyone envies us. A piece of Mantuan land with all its roots and its confectionery history. Dolci Sereni is a quality guarantee that goes beyond the goodness of their products. The Ferrari family is committed to promoting a cultural and popular work that has the taste of history.

Bernardo Pasquali

S&M