Agriturismo Corboli

The ingredients for these biscuits are : chestnut flour,eggs,sugar and salt.

They have simple,genuine organic ingredients. They are nutritious, and pleasantly tasty with milk , tea , or young red wine.

The origin and shape of these biscuit is tied to an old legend, from the wintery November nights , telling of fairies and shepherdesses.

‘Once upon a time’ there was a cave on a mountainside where the fairies lived. It was known as the ‘Fairy cave’ and was invisible to humans. They could, however, hear the fairies laughing, gossiping, their children playing, singing, and the aroma of their food. One November day, a shepherdess was caught in a storm and returned home with her flock. The rain was so heavy that she sought refuge with her flock in the Fairy cave. She realised where she was and, therefore, tried to make no noise in order not to draw attention to herself. A small lamb, separated from its mother, cried out for her. The shepherdess thought that noises coming from inside the cave would eventually realise her presence and hear the bleating of her flock. The fairies however were celebrating the first chestnut flour of the year – the harvest had been particularly good that year. A smallest daughter of one of the fairies heard the lamb bleating and went towards the cave entrance to see what was happening. The fairy and the shepherdess met. As well as being frightened, the shepherdess was also very hungry. The fairy was holding some biscuits which looked delicious and smelt wonderful. The young fairy wanted to make friends with the shepherdess, so thought of offering her a biscuit. She remembered that fairy food could not be offered to humans, so she placed it in a chestnut husk so that the other fairies would not know what she was doing. The young fairy made the shepherdess promise to eat the biscuit before leaving the cave. The shepherdess greatly appreciated the gift and when she returned home she mixed up the ingredients and…. cooked the biscuit: she had saved a small amount in her pocket, just so that she could make some more. The shepherdess tried to ensure that the fairies did not know that it was their biscuit by giving it a chestnut husk shape – just like the one given to her by the young fairy.

The fable tells of times long ago and forgotten aromas .Our farmstead , always caraful to reproduce culinary delicacies which are no longer commonly available,is happy to offer you a very special and fascinating biscuit

Our search to rediscover specialities typical to our Bisenzio Valley and Prato area resulted in our ability to offer our guests biscuits which were usually prepared in the Valley homes. These were made for weddings when the bride’s dress, usually made by the mother and aunts, could not be seen by the groom before the actual ceremony. When all the women were together on the house – mother, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, cousins and friends – making the various courses which made up the wedding feast, they laughed and joked amongst themselves in a long and slow ritual of food preparation.

Weddings were always a great spectacle which involved not only the family, but also practically all the neighbours – almost the whole village. It was a day of food, sounds, singing and dancing.

All the courses had to be tasty and welcoming.  Special biscuits were prepared especially – these were called Zuccherini – and these really did contain tasty and welcoming ingredients: good white flour (from Hungary they used to say, to show just how precious it was!), the freshest eggs from young hens, the freshest cream-coloured butter, alittle salt, caster sugar, yeast, and the rare and expensive aniseed ( in both seed and liquer form). All the ingredients were blended with care and love, before being left to rise while the oven heated up.

These expert hands made the dough into a thin long roll which was then cut into small lengths and made into a ring shape and cooked in the oven. The glaze was prepared the next day. Aniseed liquer, water and caster sugar were brought to the boil until thickened, when the cooked rings were added – a few at a time – and then, once glazed, left to cool on the marble worksurface. Small sweet rings, white on the outside while soft and tasty inside. Just like a strong and sweet marriage. Two much larger rings were made for the newly-weds – almost crown-like finished off with a red satin bow.

In keeping with the spirit of these traditions and memories, Agriturismo Corboli offers you this welcoming speciality.

Also known – incorrectly – as cantucci or cantuccini – Pratese biscuits are one of the most famous Tuscan specialities and are known throughout the world thanks to the Pratese businessmen who have always given them to their foreign and Italian clients.

The ingredients are: flour, sugar, almonds, eggs, grated lemon rind..

The Pratese people prefer to dunk them in their Vin Santo!