Real Taste of Tuscany by Communicart.it
CHOOSE YOUR MAP, GUIDE YOUR LIFE
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A Great Reason for Every Season. Florence & Tuscany
Real Taste of Tuscany by Communicart.it
CHOOSE YOUR MAP, GUIDE YOUR LIFE
communicart.it
Quaresima is the Italian word for Lent, the 6 week period that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday. There are traditionally forty days in Lent which are marked by fasting, both from foods and festivities, and by other acts of penance.
Quaresimali are a specialty of the Lenten season because they are supposed to be so hard they are a penance to eat. Somewhere along the way though, they became a lot more flavorful.
All over Tuscany, Quaresimali cookies use only the whites of eggs and no shortening, possibly so that something has been 'given up' for Lent. The batter is formed into alphabet shapes and baked until quite hard, which again may be considered appropriate for the season.
These cookies are made especially for children. You can simply make letters of the alphabet, write a sentiment, or spell out the name of someone special.
Quaresimali Toscana have the texture of crisp chocolate wafer cookies.
