Parrozzo

Parrozzo is a traditional Christmas cake in the shape of a dome, consisting of almonds, flour, butter, sugar, and eggs. The cake is additionally flavored with lemon zest and covered with a rich chocolate glaze. It was invented in the 1920s as a sweet version of pane rozzo, a savory, coarse cornmeal bread of the Abruzzo countryside. Its dark chocolate coating is supposed to be an imitation of the burnt areas of pane rozzo, which was baked in wood-burning ovens.