On the night before Christmas, Giacomino, a lively Italian boy, connected with his cousin John in the United States. As every year, his father organized a video call with his sister for exchanging greetings. After the adults' conversations, Giacomino and John extended their phone chat. John suggested preparing a glass of milk and some cookies to place by the fireplace so that Santa Claus would have something good to enjoy upon his arrival.
Although this tradition was not common in Italy, Giacomino decided to follow his cousin's advice. However, his vivid imagination prompted him to do more. Reflecting on the fact that his uncle Nicola, with a thick beard and white hair like snow, resembled Santa Claus a lot, and that he loved spicy peppers very much (he even put them on ice cream), Giacomino decided to make Santa's breakfast even more special. He added generous amounts of spicy chili to the milk and cookies.
On Christmas morning, Giacomino woke up anxious to see Santa Claus's reaction to his spicy gift. Going down the stairs, he noticed not only the traditional gifts under the tree but also that the cookies were gone, and the empty glass of milk had turned fiery red. Next to all this, there was a golden note with festive writings and Santa's doodles. The gratitude message said: "Dear Giacomino, thank you for the spicy breakfast! The milk and cookies, for an old man like me, gave a burst of energy to return to Lapland. From now on, before embarking on these long journeys to bring gifts to all the children in the world, I will always have a spicy breakfast, adding chili both to mjuk kaka cake, which I love, and to the meat stew. With affection, Santa Claus."
Giacomino, happy and surprised, burst into laughter, aware that he had introduced a new practice into Santa's routine. That morning, the real gift was not just the packages under the tree, but the shared joy between Giacomino and a Santa Claus who appreciated his creative spicy breakfast.
The typical bread of Lapland is mjuk kaka (literally soft cake), prepared with wholemeal flour, milk, butter, cumin, and local spices. However, there is also knäckebröd, the typical thin and crispy bread found throughout Sweden. In Lapland, this bread is enriched with seeds from plants that grow in that harsh climate, such as sorrel and mustard.
Discover the recipes on our website!
