A touch of sweetness
PASTRIES & CHOCOLATE
Italian desserts are delicious and have a long tradition reminiscent of family lunches and festivities , bringing within them the stories of impressive receptions in the courts of the Renaissance or that of the refined eighteenth-century bourgeoisie . Here are some examples :
Cantucci TOSCANI
Cantucci are almond cookies that originated in Tuscany . They are dry biscuits obtained by slicing a half-baked loaf of cookie dough , and then baking the slices dry .
They find their ideal companion in Vin Santo . It is customary to dip them in this dessert liqueur , called santo ( holy ) because of its use during Christian mess , which makes them softer and even better !
Gianduiotto
What do a Carnival character , aluminium foil , the town of Turin and Napoleon Bonaparte have in common ? That ’ s an easy one ! The Gianduiotto , the world-famous chocolate in the shape of a capsized boat , made from cocoa and Piedmontese hazelnuts , in the list of traditional Italian food products .
Gianduia chocolate originated in the early 19th century , as a makeshift . In fact , it was invented by chocolate makers in Turin to counter the shortage of cocoa , that was supplied to Turin with difficulty and at very high prices due to the continenal embargo ordered by Napoleon . So , to replace the scarce cocoa , they started adding chopped hazelnuts to the cocoa and sugar base . Hazelnuts were a local produce from the nearby Langhe hills , and therefore not expensive .
However , the chocolate that was to become famous over the years was born in the mid-19th century , when the firm Caffarel-Prochet , among the oldest in Italy , introduced a couple of ingenious innovations to the process described above . The hazelnuts were toasted and finely ground , and every chocolate was wrapped in golden foil , an unprecedented packaging for a sweet that soon won the hearts of the frugal Piedmontese people .
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