Sagra dei Pastrignocchi e del Cuculo

In Valdichiana Senese, each village has its culinary traditions and its unusual dishes. In Cetona, local gastronomy is celebrated during the annual "Sagra dei Pastrignocchi e del Cuculo," held in the setting of Piazza Garibaldi. But what is it precisely? Pastrignocchi are a type of simple pasta, with a coarse appearance, prepared quickly without much attention to aesthetics and mostly consumed on working days. The "cuculo," on the other hand, contrary to what one might think, is a sweet biscuit, typical of the province of Siena. The biscuit was the afternoon snack of the reapers when the sweltering heat of July diminished and the cuckoo began to emit its characteristic "cu-cu."