Cartellate are crisp pastry spirals that are drizzled with honey. They are sometimes called the "dahlias of Saint Nicholas" because of their color and shape and also their association with the nuns of the hospice for pilgrims of Saint Nicholas of Bari. At one time honey was expensive and not always available, so cooks used a syrup made from figs to drizzle over the cartellate. Alternatively, the pastries were drizzled with mostocotto (grape must or juice) cooked down to a thick, sweet syrup. Our recipe calls for honey, but if you would like a truly traditional version of cartellate try them with the fig syrup or mosto cotto.
