History of Biscotti (2024)

Short History of Biscotti and its notable origin.

History was not my favorite subject in school, and maybe it wasn’t yours either. But when you have a passion for something, you just don’t know when to stop. And, I wanted to know how, the original almost rock hard variation of this delectable delight came about.

Biscotti was originally made as a”long-shelf-life” food (very dry and containing no fats) for travelers and was carried by the Roman Legions to battle. Today’s biscotti are a far cry from the original, and have become a popular accompaniment to espresso, cappuccino and a in its classic varieties with Vin Santo.

Now for the nitty gritty of the history of Biscotti!

So if your'e interested in the history of biscotti read on otherwise skip toMaking Biscotti.

Though this popular Italian cookie traces its origins to Roman times, modern biscotti are associated with the Tuscan region of Italy.

The Roman biscotti were more about convenience food for travelers rather than a pleasurable treat for leisurely diners. Unleavened, finger-shaped wafers were baked first to cook them, then a second time to completely dry them out, making them durable for travel and nourishment for long journeys.

Thesecond trip to the oven draws off moisture, and when done to the extremeresults in a hard, dry texture, with a very long shelf life.

So much so that Pliny the Elder once boasted “thatthey would be edible for centuries.”

Note: Gaius PliniusSecundus (23 AD – August 25, 79 AD), better known as Pliny the Elder, was aRoman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and armycommander of the early Roman Empire.

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After the fall of theRoman Empire in 455 C.E, the country was repeatedly sacked by the Visigoths,the Vandals and others. The people did their best to survive and there waslittle to no culinary development.

But with theRenaissance……

……cuisine flowered and Biscotti re-emerged in Tuscany, credited to a Tuscan bakerwho served them with the local sweet wine.

The dry, crunchy texturewas deemed to be the perfect medium to soak up the wine.... (Ohhh! Yes! So muchmore flavorful “and healthy?” than dunking a donut in coffee!)…..So much sothat centuries later, many still agree that dipping biscotti into Vin Santo isa perfect way to end a meal, or to while away an hour at a café.

Cantucci Di Prato or Tuscan Biscotti….

…. were flavored withalmonds from the plentiful almond groves of Prato. There, the cookies were—andstill are—known as cantucci. To this day….Cantucci di Prato can be found in thewindow of every pasticceria in Tuscany.

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Cantucci became a staplein the Tuscan cities of Florence and Prato, and spread throughout the Italianpeninsula, where they were called cantucci.

Biscottiis a generic term in Italy—more about that in a moment

As the Roman Legions appreciated their longstorage ability so did the soldiers, sailors and fisherman of the Renaissance.But now, rather than pallid, dry staples for nourishment, Italian bakers puttheir culinary gifts to work. Biscotti became so popular that every provincedeveloped its own flavored version.

From the basic almond recipe ofTuscany, flavors expanded to anisette, amaretto and lemon-flavored doughs; to other spices; to biscotti with raisins and other dried fruits; tobiscotti studded with chocolate morsels and with other varieties of nuts.

Today, the flavorings areonly limited to the imagination of the baker and the palates of bakers and customers.

Taking a break from reseaching the history of biscotti, I recently reviewed the flavors for sale on Amazon.comturned up these biscotti flavors:

ApricotHazelnut, Berry Patriotic (dried cherries and blueberries with white almond),Butterscotch, Cappuccino, Cashew Sesame, Cherry Almond, Chocolate Brownie,Chocolate Cappuccino, Chocolate Cherry Amaretto, Chocolate Hazelnut, ChocolateMacadamia, Chocolate Pistachio, Chocolate Tiramisu, Cinnamon Almond, CinnamonHazelnut, Cinnamon Pecan, Cinnamon Sugar, Coconut Chocolate Chunk, CoffeeCashew, Cranberry Almond, Cranberry Orange, Cranberry Walnut, Dark Chocolate,Gingerbread, Hazelnut, Lemon Almond, Lemon Blueberry Poppy seed, Irish CreamPistachio, Marble, Peanut, Pecan Toffee Pistachio Cranberry, Pistachio Rum,Macadamia Nut, Maple Praline, Mint Almond, Mint Chocolate, Spumoni (combinedchocolate, cherry and pistachio), Toffee Currant, Triple Chocolate, WhiteChocolate

Additionally….

Biscottiare frequently found iced with melted chocolate and other frostings, and likeother cookies, can be ornately decorated for special occasions.

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Now I have defiantly had enoughhistory of Biscotti, plus I'm hungry take me toEasy Biscotti Recipes.

We Say Biscotti…. They Say Cantucci

As noted, Italians call biscotti, “cantucci”, and use the term biscotti to refer to any type of crunchy cookie, round, square and otherwise—as the British use the word biscuit. In North America, we use biscotti as the ancient Romans did, to describe a long, dry, hard twice-baked cookie (in other words, cantucci).

As time passed Most European countries have designed their own version of biscotti.

• The British have rusks
• French, biscotte and croquets de carcassonne
• Germans, zwieback
• Greeks, biskota and paxemadia
• Jews, mandelbrot
• Russians, sukhariki.

But it doesn’t matter what you call them, they taste great with a cup of coffee...or Vin Santo.

Biscotti Comes To America

The history of biscotti in the United States can be traced back to Christopher Columbus, who needed a viable food source that could resist moisture and mold on overseas journeys.

As biscotti moved from dietary staple to delectable dessert it was natural for American bakers to include nuts, dried fruits and extracted flavorings to add sweetness.

In the US the popularity of biscotti has exploded as Americans find them to be natural companions to coffee, ice cream and fruit compote – even as a remarkable crust for cheesecake.

Centuries ago, biscotti proved to be an ideal food for soldiers, sailors and fisherman, who needed sustenance while on long journeys.

Traditionally, Biscotti were almond-flavored because almonds were plentiful. Today, you’ll find Biscotti in a myriad of different flavors. Their unique texture makes them perfect to dunk in your morning coffee, afternoon tea, or wine after dinner.

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