Tagliolini in milk - Ascension Day sweet pasta recipe.

This traditional Italian tagliolini al latte (tagliolini in milk) is an ancient recipe from Basilicata in Southern Italy. Also known as tagliolini dell'Ascensione, this is a sweet and creamy dish traditionally prepared for Ascension Day, 40 days after Easter.

The fresh egg pasta noodles are cooked directly in hot milk sweetened with sugar, cinnamon and/or lemon zest. You can eat this easy to make sweet pasta warm or cold.

The use of milk on Ascension Day.

In rural and pastoral regions of Italy (particularly in Basilicata, Abruzzo, Molise, and parts of Campania, Lazio and Puglia), Ascension Day is traditionally celebrated by sharing or consuming fresh, raw sheep's or cow's milk. Shepherds would gift this ‘Ascension milk’ to neighbors, and families used it to cook sweet dishes.

The most popular dishes prepared for this feast day include riso e latte (rice cooked slowly in sweet milk and spiced with cinnamon) or this tagliolini al latte (tagliolini in milk). In some villages, like Castelbottaccio in Molise, savory pasta called paccozze is cooked in milk and served with lamb ragu

This milk sharing tradition stems from the spring season's peak dairy production and an ancient Christian belief that a shepherd's milk would spoil or stop caging if they denied milk to a beggar or neighbor on this holy day. Consequently, rural communities ritualized freely sharing and consuming it.

In Basilicata, (also known as Lucania) where this tagliolini in milk recipe comes from farmers also considered the ritual of sharing milk as a way to ensure the fertility of their livestock, believing that their livestock would become infertile if milk was not shared with everyone on Ascension Day!

Ingredients for sweet tagliolini in milk

The pasta: This ancient sweet pasta recipe is traditionally cooked with homemade tagliolini. The tagliolini usually contains hard wheat semolina flour and eggs. However, you can also use just soft wheat flour and eggs or a mix of hard and soft wheat flour. I used ready made fresh tagliolini, available for sale in my local pasta shop.

The milk: In the past, sheep’s milk was the main type of milk for this dish because sheep and goat farming is and was more predominant in the places where this tradition originates.  Nowadays, Italians use either sheep or cow’s milk. I used organic whole cow’s milk. But I’d like to remake it with sheep’s milk. Low fat or skimmed milk isn’t recommended for this sweet pasta recipe.

Sugar: You can use white or brown sugar depending on your taste. Also, the amount of sugar also depends on personal taste. Check the milk before adding the pasta to it. If you prefer it sweeter, add more sugar. In some recipes, they use honey instead of sugar.

Lemons: The amount of lemon zest also depends on personal preferences. I added about 2 teaspoons. Don’t forget to use lemons with edible peel. In other words, unwaxed and organic lemons.

Cinnamon powder: Depending on how much cinnamon flavor you prefer, you can increase the amount of cinnamon powder.

Salt: Just a pinch of salt is all you need.

Step by step instructions for tagliolini in milk.

1) Heat the milk with sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and a pinch of salt until it’s almost boiling.

2) Add the fresh pasta to the hot milk mixture and cook over a low to medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the pasta is ready and the sauce thickens. It’s best to keep stirring and mixing the pasta so it cooks evenly.

3) Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the tagliolini in milk to a deep round, oval or rectangular ceramic or pyrex pie or serving dish. Sprinkle a little more cinnamon powder and lemon zest on top.

4) Allow the tagliolini in milk to cool and then serve in portions whilst slightly warm or refrigerate for later. I left my dish in the fridge for a couple of hours.

What to do with leftovers.

Since this sweet pasta dish tastes great warm or cold, you can keep leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days. If you prefer the leftovers to be warm, just heat for a minute in the microwave.

Let me know what you think.

This traditional sweet tagliolini in milk is a unique recipe originating in the ancient pastoral traditions of Central and Southern Italy’s rural kitchen. It’s a recipe that connects past agricultural customs with religious ritual.

Easy to make and full of flavor, this is a recipe that will not only impress your guests but bring a sense of history to your table.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear how it turns out. Please write a comment here on the blog, email me or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.

Your feedback is really appreciated!

Buon Appetito!

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Other tagliolini pasta recipes to try.

• Saffron, lemon and butter tagliolini from Umbria
• Tagliolini with white truffle from Piemonte
• Tagliolini baked in broth from Emilia-Romagna
• Neapolitan tagliolini pasta pie
• Tagliolini al prosciutto San Daniele from Friuli Venezia Giulia
• Tagliolini au gratin from Venice