A cake for the Befana: the tradition of the Venetian “pinza”

The Befana
The word “befana” comes from the Greek “epiphany” and it means apparition. In the collective imagination the befana is an old woman with a long nose and a sharp chin, who travels at night on a broom. She appears at night on January 6th bringing gifts to all the good children. The night before her arrival they are supposed to leave a sock under the fireplace or in the kitchen that she fills with gifts, but especially candies and sweet coal.
To thank her for her visit as a reward in the past, it was tradition to leave her favorite cake, “the pinza” ready for her on the kitchen table.

The Pinza