Lazio

Ciambella o ciammella di San Michele

A large savoury anise ring bread, made by hand and traditionally broken by hand rather than cut.

Publication note

Published as a product profile: validated sources do not fully document ingredients and/or method details.

What it is

A large savoury anise ring bread, made by hand and traditionally broken by hand rather than cut.

Origin place card

Vitorchiano is a medieval peperino-stone town in the Viterbo area.

Verified history

The official 2025 Arsial sheet ties its production to collective work by the town and documents committee records and festival practice.

Ingredients

Flour, white wine, olive oil, salt, anise seeds and sourdough or brewer’s yeast; boiled and then baked.

Method

Method/process not fully documented in validated sources.

Ritual / calendar

Eaten during the patronal celebrations of San Michele and the May Poggiata, traditionally with pecorino and fava beans.

Why travel for it

Ciambella o ciammella di San Michele is a large savoury anise ring bread, made by hand and traditionally broken by hand rather than cut.. In the present corpus it is documented with origin in Vitorchiano, Viterbo.

Editorial warning

This page is documentary verified from the pass3 layer. The next editorial improvement is to add one classic local recipe, one older documented version where available, and one modern household version with explicit attribution.