According to the legend, the biscione of Reggio Emilia was born at the beginning of ‘900: it was created by a pastry chef as a Christmas gift for his employees, hence the name Biscione natalizio. A dough made of almonds and candied fruits is kneaded to form a long snake and it is rolled up on a cake pan. Once cooked, the upper part is decorated with a meringa that must have a very white color, in contrast to the dark dough.