If you grew up in an Italian home, you definitely had a bunch of them hidden in some drawer or, if they were particularly pretty, making a good display of themselves somewhere in the sitting room. Yes, I’m talking about the bomboniera.

This small, decorative object — it can be a box, but also a simple tulle sachet attached to any type of ornamental trinket — containing sugared almonds, (known as “confetti” in Italy), is typically given as a gift to guests at weddings, baptisms, and other special occasions. But where did this tradition come from, and how did it become such an integral part of Italian culture?