La giornata all'insegna della mimosa: It so happens that today, in Italy the Festa della Donna is celebrated. And in Venice, and Italy in general, the flower dedicated to women on the 8th of March is the mimosa. Which is natural, as at this time of the year, mimosas on the Mediterranean coasts are in full bloom.
Here are some "virtual mimosa presents" to all women readers of this blog: mimosa pictures, a mimosa painting and two recipes to celebrate a day "in the sign of the fluffy yellow mimosa blossoms". Giving mimosas to women on 8 March is exclusively an Italian idea and goes back to the year 1946, simply because mimosas are in bloom just at that time of the year, they are also cheap and easily available, as an article of La Stampa has it.
Here are some "virtual mimosa presents" to all women readers of this blog: mimosa pictures, a mimosa painting and two recipes to celebrate a day "in the sign of the fluffy yellow mimosa blossoms". Giving mimosas to women on 8 March is exclusively an Italian idea and goes back to the year 1946, simply because mimosas are in bloom just at that time of the year, they are also cheap and easily available, as an article of La Stampa has it.
Aspettando di essere trapiantate: Getting ready for March 8: Il Fioraio di Venezia - Fantin: |
Mimosas are actually trees, and they thrive in the mild climate of the Mediterranean and also take well here in the lagoon gardens if there is the right composition of the soil, of course. If you pass near the flowershop Fantin, next to Campo San Bartolomio and Rialto, this is the picture you get these days: mimosas that wait to be planted out into some Venetian garden. And as you can see in the picture above, there are also other typical spring flowers, such as bright primulas and pale pink azaleas waiting to be planted in a warm and sunny spot amongst lush evergreen shrubs.
Where you would least suspect it: There is not only an ocre colored brick wall, and the silhouette of a silver-green cedar, there is also a mimosa in full bloom !! |
Fluffy mimosa flowers against the blue sky in March: they have a sweet and at the same time fresh fragrance, somewhere between lemon and vanilla |
Who would suspect that in Venetian gardens, in the moist, lush and silent areas tucked away behind brick walls, some very special flowers usher in spring. Yes, we also have tulips, crocusses and hyazinths - and forsythias of course, which by the way are the typical yellow Easter flowers. So spring is yellow here ...
But let us come back to the mimosas. Not only are they here for us today with their marvelous fresh fragrance, they are favorites with my family, and with Venetians in general. And in Venice like in all the other regions of Italy, several cakes use ingredients that remind us of the flimsy mimosa blossoms: In Venetian pasticcerie, you could buy now torta mimosa, but also smaller pastine mimosa.
Cupcakes - pastine alla mimosa in Venice |
And here are some recipes that I would like to share with you as it is mimosa day - torta mimosa and muffins mimosa. The torta mimosa is prepared for the Festa della Donna in particular. The following recipe is taken from the Giallo Zafferano Blog, one of Italy's best known cooking & cuisine blogs:
Basically it is sponge cake filled with crema pasticcera and decorated with tiny balls made from the sponge cake remnants. For the muffins mimosa, we color the usual dough for muffins with vanilla sugar and grated lemon peel, and fill it with lemon or orange juice flavored ricotta cream.
And finally, I would like to share a painting I came across, showing a Venetian canal and garden walls overgrown with a mimosa in full bloom ...
Spring lights |
Wishing you a happy day and lots of sprigs of mimosa!!
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