Calcioni al Formaggio Marchigiani

Marche (widespread)

Sweet-savoury fried pastry half-moons from Marche, traditionally made at Easter. A short egg-and-lard pastry encases a filling of fresh pecorino (or ricotta), eggs, sugar, lemon zest, and sometimes saffron or cinnamon. Fried golden in lard or olive oil. The salt-forward pastry against the lightly sweet cheese filling is characteristic of central Italian pastry that straddles savoury and sweet.

• Fried sweet pastry with a crisp exterior in the central Italian tradition → Cenci fritti Empolese · (Tuscany)
• Sweet fried dough with a slight cheese element at festival times → Pittule dolci Puglia
• Pastry encasing a cheese and egg filling, sweet-savoury balance → Tiropita / Bougatsa Greek

Crisp, slightly savoury shell giving way to warm, lightly sweet melting cheese — the Easter pastry of Marche, designed to use the season's fresh pecorino