Espelta flour, almonds and honey are the ingredients of the “happiness cake”, inspired by San Agustín, which was delivered to Pope Leo XIV in the feast of Santa Rita de Casia.
On the afternoon of Thursday, May 22, the day in which one of the most venerated holy is celebrated in the Augustinian community, an acquaintance of the Pontiff prepared this sweet and sent it to the Vatican.
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As indicated Vatican News, Pope Leo XIV shared the cake with his Augustinian brothers and with his personal secretary, the Peruvian priest Edgard Rimaycuna.
This sweet is inspired by a recipe that San Agustín himself reflected in his work Of Beata Vita (Of happy life), in which he reflects on true happiness.
In this work, the Holy of Hipona narrates the celebration of his 32 birthday with his mother Mónica, his son Adeodato, his brother and his cousins.
“Finding out that man consists of body and soul, on this day of my birthday it seemed to me that I had not only should refocillar your bodies with a more succulent meal, but also give away with some delicacy your souls,” writes Agustín.
As a dialogue, San Agustín proposes different ingredients to achieve happiness, such as those that his mother, Santa Monica, used to make his son’s birthday cake.
Specifically, the origin of this sweet is in northern Italy, in Cassago Brianzathe municipality where Agustín wrote Of Beata Vitaand currently is given as a desire for happiness.
Almudena Martínez-Bordiú
Graduated in journalism and advertising from the CEU San Pablo University of Madrid. Specialized in religious information in Spain since 2015. It has been a senior correspondent for ACI Press and Ewtn News at the Vatican for two years and is currently a correspondent for Europe based on Spain.