La Fantoccia e il Cavallino

An old recipe to celebrate the Epiphany

The Fantoccia and the Cavallino are biscuits tied to anancient tradition of Valdarno Superiore. For decades it is customary to find the morning ofEpiphany the fortune cookie "Fantoccia" girls and the "Cavallino" to children.

 

The tradition was born in the area, inrural aristocratic that scarce financial resources did not allow families to be able to buy games or sweets for their children. Hence both shapes to toy some cookies that the simplicity of the ingredients. In fact, it appears that originally the sweets were prepared by kneading the dough and addolcendola with leftovers of sugared almonds or dried fruit.

 

The current recipe, which has evolved over the years, still provides a mixture of cheap and easily available ingredients: flour, butter, sugar, eggs, salt and lemon. The biscuits then once modeled, you decorate with sprinkles, candies and chocolate: a perfect gift to make children happy and keep alive a typical throughout Tuscany.

 

Photocredits: chicchedichicca.blogspot.com