Lake Como: the Resta
The Easter Sweet of Lake Como
Lake Como glistened. Old kitchens filled the air with warm aromas. Amid this setting, a beloved local tradition began: the Resta, or Resca. This sweet is simple, symbolic, and deeply tied to Easter. It connects to the land, the lake, and a curious legend from the early 1800s.
It all started in 1820. In a small tavern by the lake, fishermen gathered to celebrate. Meanwhile, the innkeeper prepared a dessert. But he miscalculated the yeast. The dough rose too much and spilled over the bowl.
He tried to stop it. He grabbed a twig from a bundle of firewood and stuck it into the dough. It didn’t help. The twig sank into the mass and baked along with it.
Still, the result surprised everyone. The sweet bread had a long, spiky shape. On top, twelve cuts—just as tradition required—to honor the Twelve Apostles.
Upon seeing it, someone exclaimed:
“Par la resca d’un pèss!”
which in the local dialect means “It looks like a fishbone!”
And so, almost by accident, the Resta was born—a dessert that weaves together Easter symbols and stories of the lake.
The name itself has Latin roots: “arista”, which means both the fishbone and the ear of grain. Fittingly, the shape of the sweet resembles a wheat ear—a symbol of rebirth and fertility. The olive twig that accidentally ended up in the dough became a key feature of the recipe, representing peace, spirituality, and the arrival of spring—perfect for Palm Sunday.
Ingredients of Lake Como: the Resta
The Resta is made with simple, wholesome ingredients:
flour, water, butter, natural yeast, eggs, sugar, candied or dried fruit, and honey.
A humble sweet, but rich in heart and history. Over time, it became a symbol of a community living off fishing and farming on the shores of the lake, where olive trees and wheat grew between dry stone walls and gentle breezes.
Even today, the Resta is prepared by families and bakeries in the Lake Como area for Easter.
It’s more than a dessert—it’s a story, a ritual, a deep connection to the land and its seasons. To taste it is to savor a piece of history, where faith and folklore blend with the scent of fresh bread and the reflections of the lake in springtime.