 | |
| Type | Pastry |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Region or state | Siena, Tuscany |
| Main ingredients | Anise seeds, almonds, candied fruits, coriander, flour, Tuscan millefiori honey |
Cavallucci are an Italian Christmas pastry made with anise, walnuts, candied fruits, coriander, and flour. They are Sienese in origin, and the name translates approximately to 'little horses'. [1] The chewy pastries are similar to a cookie or biscuit and traditionally use Tuscan millefiori honey as an essential ingredient in the dough.
The pastries were originally imprinted with the image of a horse (cavalli is the Italian term for 'horses'). [2] They are a version of a pastry which is traceable to the reign of Lorenzo the Magnificent (1449–1492), when they were called "biriquocoli". [3]
Many hypotheses are associated with the origin of its name. According to the most popular version of the story, cavallucci were served to travelers on horseback as a source of nourishment for long trips. [3] Another speculation is that postal workers who delivered mail over long distances ate the pastries on a regular basis. [1] Additionally surmised is that these sweets were the usual snack of servants who worked in horse stables of rich Italian aristocrats in Siena, a city which gained its fame for horse racing.
The pastry is often paired with sweet dessert wines, such as Vin Santo, and dipped into the wine before being eaten. [3]
Dessert is a course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as cake, biscuit, ice cream and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. Some cultures sweeten foods that are more commonly savory to create desserts. In some parts of the world there is no tradition of a dessert course to conclude a meal.
Tiramisu is an Italian dessert made of ladyfinger pastries dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of egg yolks, sugar, and mascarpone, and flavoured with cocoa powder. The recipe has been adapted into many varieties of cakes and other desserts. Its origin is disputed between the Italian regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The name comes from the Italian tirami su.
Cannoli is a Sicilian pastry consisting of a tube-shaped shell of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling containing ricotta cheese. Its size ranges from 9 to 20 centimetres. In mainland Italy, it is commonly known as cannolo siciliano.
Zabaione or zabaglione is an Italian dessert, or sometimes a beverage, made with egg yolks, sugar, and a sweet wine. Some versions of the recipe incorporate spirits such as cognac. The dessert version is a light custard, whipped to incorporate a large amount of air. Since the 1960s, in restaurants in areas of the United States with large Italian populations, zabaione is usually served with strawberries, blueberries, peaches, etc., in a champagne coupe, and is often prepared tableside for dramatic effect. In France, it is called sabayon, while its Italian name is zabaione or zabaglione.
Pizzelle are Italian waffle cookies made with flour, eggs, sugar, butter or vegetable oil, and flavoring. They can be hard and crisp or soft and chewy depending on the ingredients and method of preparation. Pizzelle can be molded into various shapes, including in the tubular shape of cannoli.
Hungarian or Magyar cuisine is the cuisine characteristic of the nation of Hungary, and its primary ethnic group, the Magyars. Hungarian cuisine has been described as being the spiciest cuisine in Europe. This can largely be attributed to the use of their piquant native spice, Hungarian paprika, in many of their dishes. A mild version of the spice, Hungarian sweet paprika, is commonly used as an alternative. Traditional Hungarian dishes are primarily based on meats, seasonal vegetables, fruits, bread, and dairy products.
Advocaat or advocatenborrel is a traditional Dutch alcoholic beverage made from eggs, sugar, and brandy. The rich and creamy drink has a smooth, custard-like consistency. The typical alcohol content is generally between 14% and 20% ABV. Its contents may be a blend of egg yolks, aromatic spirits, sugar or honey, brandy, vanilla, and sometimes cream. Notable makers of advocaat include Warninks, Bols, Darna Ovo Liker, DeKuyper, and Verpoorten.
Biscotti are Italian almond biscuits originating in the city of Prato, in Tuscany. They are twice-baked, oblong-shaped, dry, and crunchy. In Italy, they are known as cantucci, biscotti di Prato or biscotti etruschi and may be dipped in a drink, traditionally Vin Santo. Smaller biscotti may be known as biscottini or cantuccini. In Italian, the word biscotti encompasses all kinds of biscuits or cookies.
Panforte is a chewy Italian dessert containing fruit and nuts. It is similar to a Florentine but is much thicker and is a little like a lebkuchen. Known throughout Italy, it is an Italian Christmas tradition associated especially with the province of Siena.
Christmas dinner is a meal traditionally eaten at Christmas. This meal can take place any time from the evening of Christmas Eve to the evening of Christmas Day itself. The meals are often particularly rich and substantial, in the tradition of the Christian feast day celebration, and form a significant part of gatherings held to celebrate the arrival of Christmastide. In many cases, there is a ritual element to the meal related to the religious celebration, such as the saying of grace.
Ricciarelli are a type of biscuit originating in 14th-century Siena, Italy. It is considered one of the signature sweets of Siena, in addition to panforte, cenci, and cavallucci.
Tuscan wine is Italian wine from the Tuscany region. Located in central Italy along the Tyrrhenian coast, Tuscany is home to some of the world's most notable wine regions. Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano are primarily made with Sangiovese grape whereas the Vernaccia grape is the basis of the white Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Tuscany is also known for the dessert wine Vin Santo, made from a variety of the region's grapes. Tuscany has forty-one Denominazioni di origine controllata (DOC) and eleven Denominazioni di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG). In the 1970s a new class of wines known in the trade as "Super Tuscans" emerged. These wines were made outside DOC/DOCG regulations but were considered of high quality and commanded high prices. Many of these wines became cult wines. In the reformation of the Italian classification system many of the original Super Tuscans now qualify as DOC or DOCG wines but some producers still prefer the declassified rankings or to use the Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) classification of Toscana. Tuscany has six sub-categories of IGT wines today.
Mustacciuoli, also known as mustaccioli or mostaccioli, is a pastry originating in the Naples region of Italy, usually served at Christmas time.
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. Siena is the 12th largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 53,062 as of 2022.
Bruttiboni, also known as mandorlati di San Clemente and brutti ma buoni, is a type of hazelnut or almond-flavoured biscuit made in Prato, Tuscany, and many other cities. These biscuits are made by incorporating meringue, which is an egg white and sugar mixture, with roasted chopped nuts. The biscuits are crunchy on the outside with a soft texture in the middle. As with many other Italian biscuits, their origin is disputed, but they have been made since at least the mid-1800s.
Qurabiya also ghraybe, ghorayeba, ghoriba, ghribia, ghraïba, gurabija, ghriyyaba,, kurabiye, or kourabiedes and numerous other spellings and pronunciations, is a shortbread-type biscuit, usually made with ground almonds. Versions are found in most Arab, Balkan and Ottoman cuisines, with various different forms and recipes. They are similar to polvorones from Andalusia.
Damiano Carrara is an Italian chef, restaurateur and cookbook author who resides in Italy.
Christmas in Italy begins on 8 December, with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the day on which traditionally the Christmas tree is mounted and ends on 6 January, of the following year with the Epiphany, and in some areas female puppets are burned on a pyre, to symbolize, along with the end of the Christmas period, the death of the old year and the beginning of a new one. 26 December, is also a public holiday in Italy. The Italian term Natale derives from the Latin natalis, which literally means 'birth', and the greetings in Italian are buon Natale and felice Natale.
