CUCINA
ricciarelli
di siena
BY catherine simpson
The small city of Siena in Tuscany is rich in history. Well known for the historic Palio event in July and August, tourists flock to this beautiful city year-round. Whilst wandering through the small historic streets, you are greeted by the fragrances of bakeries and fresh pizza and pasta, with local Sienese people giving you tasters on the streets. One sweet treat you will find everywhere is the famous ‘Ricciarelli di Siena’, one of the oldest and most typical sweets of the city, along with the Panforte. Whilst living in Siena as part of my Year Abroad, I was fortunate enough to live next to a little bakery called ‘Panifici Sciavi – Forno Pantaneto’, well-known in Siena. Whilst getting my daily pizza fix before going to University, I noticed the icing sugar on top of the ‘ricciarelli’ glowing in the corner of the shop. These small oval shaped almond biscuits are soft, sweet and taste like marzipan, my idea of heaven. If you aren’t a fan of marzipan, but love almonds, and chocolate then you are in luck as they come in chocolate variations too. Having discovered these gems, I shared them with everyone who visited me, including my family who not only filled their suitcases with these delicacies, but requested packets whenever I came home. A typical sweet treat in the Christmas season, it’s a favourite among the locals as well as the tourists. If you are lucky enough to be in Siena for ‘I mercatini di Natale a Siena’ you will be able to try many different types of these sweet treats, along with panforte and other Tuscan delicacies, as half of the Piazza del Campo is transformed to a magical space filled with local Christmas markets, with hundreds of free tasters for one weekend only. These are so unique to Siena that the Ministry of Agriculture has declared it as a product of “protected geographical indication” (PGI), in order to preserve and product this gem. These sweet almond biscuits look very difficult to prepare; however, they are a lot simpler than it seems. I hope that if you find yourself in Siena you will try them, however in the meantime, give this recipe a go at home.