Next: 19 Mar 2027
St Joseph's Day and ricotta sfince
Italy's feast of St Joseph and Father's Day, with sfince and zeppole filled with sweet ricotta or custard.
Cheeses for St Joseph's Day and ricotta sfince
On 19 March Italy celebrates Saint Joseph, who is also honoured as the patron of fathers, so the day is Father's Day too. In Palermo the sweet of the day is sfincia di San Giuseppe, a fried choux puff filled with sweetened sheep's-milk ricotta, candied orange and pistachio; in Naples it is the zeppola, fried or baked, usually with custard and a sour cherry. In western Sicily and in New Orleans, families build St Joseph's altars laden with breads and sweets for the poor. The day falls in Lent, so the dishes of the altar are meatless.
The cheeses
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Background: "Saint Joseph's Day" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.