Hands holding a cone made from an artisanal wafer, with embossed patterns and anise seeds.
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Carnival Wafers

Among the simplest yet most historically rich sweets of the Carnival season in Umbria, few can rival cialde (wafer): thin, unleavened wafers, light and fragrant. Their uniqueness lies in their ancient origins, which still make them one of the most characteristic traditional sweets in some Umbrian towns.

Between sacred and secular: the origins of the wafers

The roots of cialde go back to distant times: the earliest moulds resembling modern wafer irons date as far back as the 6th century, when, during the early Christian period, the custom spread of creating metal tools engraved with inscriptions and sacred images for baking the bread used for the Eucharist.

Over time, those first breads evolved into increasingly simple preparations: a basic mixture of water and flour, cooked on a hot iron that stamped religious symbols onto it — the birth of the host.

The oldest host irons still preserved today date back to the Middle Ages and are mainly found in central Italy, especially within the former Papal States. The oldest, from the mid-12th century, is now kept at the MUVIT - Wine Museum in Torgiano, alongside many other specimens.

From sacred tool to festive sweet

Over the centuries, these irons gradually moved away from an exclusively religious function and entered domestic life. Sacred images were replaced by the heraldic symbols of noble families, and these wafers, now stripped of their liturgical meaning, were enriched with sugar and spices, becoming cialde, a sweet served on special occasions.

 Between the 15th and 16th centuries, especially in the Perugia area, wafer irons experienced an extraordinary period of development. Made with techniques similar to goldsmithing, they became true works of art. Famous is the wafer iron crafted by the goldsmith Francesco Roscetto for the Sforza family, now preserved at the National Gallery of Umbria, bearing witness to how these tools—engraved with coats of arms, auspicious phrases, and mottos—were commissioned for engagements and weddings.

Museum room with a long row of iron wafer irons hanging on the walls, lit by soft lighting.

Wafer irons at the Wine Museum of Torgiano

Close-up of a wafer iron with engraved plates and coats of arms, on a neutral background.

Ancient Umbrian wafer iron

Thin wafer with leaf patterns and small anise seeds, shown in close-up against a blurred background.

Handmade Marsciano wafer

Ice cream on a white plate topped with broken, crunchy wafers.

Ice cream with crispy wafers

The cialde of Marsciano and the Carnival tradition

Even today, the process of making cialde remains very close to the original one, and some areas of Umbria keep alive the artisanal production of wafer irons, as in Marsciano.

In this town, as early as the 17th century, there existed the Compagnia del Purgatorio, also known as the Signoria del Carnevale, which collected monetary donations and foodstuffs to fund masses for the souls in Purgatory. Part of these offerings was used to make cialde, which were then distributed to the population during Carnival.

At that time, every family owned its own hand-crafted iron, made up of two plates personalised with coats of arms, decorative motifs, mottos, and effigies, often created as tokens of love. The initials of the newlyweds were engraved on the two plates, so that every wafer became a symbol of their love and union.

Over the centuries, Marsciano’s craftsmen became renowned for their skill in making these plates, since forging them requires expertise far beyond that of an ordinary blacksmith. Today this tradition survives thanks to the local community of the Ferri da Cialda di Marsciano, which brings together artisans specialised in forging these irons according to ancient techniques, preserving and passing them on to future generations.

The Santa Lucia wafers of Foligno

The city of Foligno is also famous for its cialde, which here are linked to the feast of Saint Lucy. The tradition goes back to the nuns of the monastery dedicated to the saint, who prepared these sweets to distribute to the people on December 13.

The cialde di Santa Lucia thus preserve the close bond between the religious and civic communities and recall similar traditions found in other parts of Italy, where comparable products take the name of the patron saint, such as the brigidine from the monastery of Santa Brigida in Pistoia.

 

How the wafers are made

The recipe for cialde is simple and fairly consistent throughout Umbria, with only minor variations. The batter is made of water and flour, to which vin santo or liqueur, a drizzle of oil and, invariably, aniseed are added, giving the wafers their unmistakable aroma.

The magic happens on the iron: once thoroughly heated, it receives a small amount of batter and in a few moments turns it into a paper-thin, golden wafer. As soon as it is removed from the iron, the cialda can be shaped—rolled into a cone, folded, or left flat—before it cools.

The pattern engraved on the iron is imprinted onto the surface, creating ever-changing decorative motifs. This is how the cialda becomes not only a pleasure to eat but also to look at: perfect on its own or served with cream, ricotta, ice cream, or chocolate.

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