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Empanadas and dulce de leche: Cookbook reveals favourite foods of Popes

Nick Squires in Rome

Spicy empanadas.
Spicy empanadas.Edwina Pickles

Armed with pikes and halberds, they have defended Popes for more than five centuries, but the elite soldiers of the Swiss Guard have revealed an unexpected culinary side to their duties with the publication of a book of favourite pontifical recipes.

The cookbook reveals the particular tastes of Pope Francis and his two predecessors, Benedict XVI and John Paul II, shedding light on classic dishes from their home countries of Argentina, Germany and Poland.

The current occupant of the Seat of St Peter has a sweet tooth - one of Pope Francis's favourite dishes is dulce de leche, a milk pudding that originates from his native Argentina.

He is also keen on spicy empanadas, as well as colita de cuadril, or grilled sirloin steak.

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The recipe book, published this week, has been compiled by David Geisser, a 24-year-old soldier from Zurich who joined the Swiss Guard in February 2013, having been a professional cook in civilian life. He compiled the recipes while the text was written by Sgt Erwin Niederberger, 36, who was a trained pastry chef in Zug before joining the corps in 1999.

The book reveals that John Paul II was particularly partial to pierogi, a type of Polish dumpling made from unleavened dough stuffed with potato, sauerkraut, meat, cheese or fruit.

"After he was shot in St Peter's Square in 1981, he ate pierogi while he was recuperating in hospital," said Sgt Niederberger. "It made him feel at home and gave him a bit of comfort. They are typical of Cracow, which is where the Pope was from. They are a sort of Polish ravioli."

Benedict XVI loves specialities from his native Bavaria, including wurstel salad, a pork dish called schweinsbraten and baked cherries topped with whipped cream.

They too are in the book, which was launched in Switzerland this week and has so far been published only in German. If it proves popular, it will be published in English next year.

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Daniel Anrig, the commander of the elite corps, said no one should be surprised that the Swiss Guard held food in such high regard. "A soldier can only fight and wage war when he has eaten sufficiently and well," he said.

The introduction to the book said it would appeal to anyone interested in cooking as well as people who were curious about the Swiss Guard and "some of the secrets of the Vatican".

The cookbook also contains the favourite recipes of people close to the Popes. Georg Ganswein, a German monsignor and private secretary to both Benedict and Francis, loves saltimbocca alla romana, which consists of prosciutto and veal cooked in white wine and butter. Along with cooking suggestions, the book includes the prayers that the guards recite before sitting down to eat in their barracks inside the Vatican City State, the world's smallest sovereign nation.

The Swiss Guard was formed in 1506 as a body of mercenary fighters by Pope Julius II.

The tiny force, which consists of around 110 officers and men, is responsible for the Pope's safety and the security of the Vatican in general. Its most significant military engagement was in 1527 when 190 guards died fighting Holy Roman Empire troops during the sack of Rome, allowing Clement VII to flee to safety from the Vatican through a stone passageway. The corps works alongside the city state's equally small police force.

The Telegraph, London

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