Sicilian Sugar Puppets

Dessert

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The Pupi di Zucchero are traditional Sicilian sweets that are made on the occasion of the celebration of the dead. These are colored sugar figurines that were once given as gifts to children on the feast of the dead. The traditional figures represented with the Sugar Puppets are dancers and peasants with tambourines for girls and horses with respective knights or paladins for boys. Today it is also possible to find more modern subjects, such as cartoon characters.
Sicilian Sugar Puppets are also known as "Pupaccena". The origin of this name is linked to a legend. It is said that an Arab nobleman invited some guests to dinner and his cook, given the economic constraint of his master, created a statuette with only sugar which was however much appreciated by the diners. Hence the name "Pupaccena" or "Pupi a Cena".