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Description:
These hard biscuits, rich in sugar and eggs, with their tasty toasted
almonds make the perfect union with any dessert wine and form a
veritable marriage of love with Tuscan Vin Santo.
A cantuccio (crusty end) of bread and a drop of wine for lunch was the
best one could desire… and if the cantuccio happened to be made of
sweet bread, it was even better… and if in this cantuccio dough there
were also almonds and eggs then earthly perfection had been achieved.
Among the traditional Tuscan desserts, those that occupy the foremost
position are the durelli (hard cakes) which are directly related to the
ancient melatelli, biscuits prepared very simply from wheat flour,
water and honey and which were known as spezzatini when made with the
addition of spices, including those from distant origins, or simply
pepatelli when only blak pepper was added. These particular biscuits
whose shapes and recipe are very similar to the present day version,
were also known as morselletti, meaning little bites of something good.
It seems that the recipe comes from the Medici Court and was
in turn obtained from the confectioners who arrived in Tuscany as part
of the retinue of Elizabeth d’Este towards the end of the 15th century
(during the Marquess’ stay in Florence on the occasion of one of her
numerous pilgrimages to Rome to visit Pope Leo x).
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