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.
