Ova Murina of Sciacca

Dessert

"Ovamurina", also known as "Ova A Murina", is a typical dish of the confectionery tradition of Sciacca. It is a soft-paste cannoli, composed of a sheet of eggs, almonds and cinnamon, and a filling of blancmange and zuccata.
According to tradition this dessert was born in the 16th century during the visit of Charles V of Habsburg to Sciacca. The nuns of the Badia Grande di Sciacca, in fact, in the absence of ricotta in the summer, created this dessert, "ova ra 'Bata Ranni", the egg of Badia Grande, as an alternative to cannoli.
The dessert, now known as "Ovamurina", according to an early school of thought, takes its name from the term "moray" due to its similarity with the flesh of the moray eel fish, white on the inside and dark on the outside. According to the other school of thought, the term "ovamurina" can be traced back to the term "Moorish Eggs" and they are so called because we owe the knowledge of the precious spices present in the dessert.