Typical Florentine Sweets

Quaresimali are the Typical Florentine sweets, or better, biscuits, prepared during the period of religious Lent: the time from Ash Wednesday to Easter (40 weekdays) observed as a time of fasting in commemoration of Christ’s fast in the wilderness. Quaresimali biscuits are popular throughout the Italian territory but with different preparation methods. The dough of Tuscan biscuits is made from egg whites, sugar, and cocoa powder and baked in the oven. The peculiarity of Quaresimali lies in their shape: alphabet letters.

Schiacchiata alla Fiorentina, Florentine flat cake, typical of the Carnival period and realized with simple ingredients. The ancient version included the use of brewer’s yeast, a double leavening, and the addition of lard. To flavour Schiacchiata alla Fiorentina and give it the classic colour, orange zest and juice are used. Today in pastry shops, you can find it in two versions: the traditional one and filled with a layer of Chantilly cream and decorated with the symbol of the city: the Florentine lily.

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La schiacciata all’uva, flat bread with grape, an other typical Florentine dessert, locally called ‘ciaccia’. It is a dish linked to the harvest period and the great Tuscan wine tradition. The schiacciata all’uva is prepared with already leavened bread dough enriched with strictly black grapes, which gives a purple colour. The traditional recipe, however, does not provide for the presence of sugar in the dough but the addition of fennel seeds before putting everything in the oven. Semi-sweet, just like Pan di Ramerino bread and Castagnaccio pie.

Originally Pan di Ramerino, or Rosemary bread, was found for sale in Florence only on the day of Holy Thursday. Nowadays, Pan di Ramerino can be sold even at other times of the year. The Pan di Ramerino is leavened for about an hour and then cooked until the oil with which it has been previously brushed (with a sprig of fresh rosemary) does not give it the typical burnished colour and shiny on the surface. The appearance looks like a small circular loaf with a cross-cut that promotes leavening.

Castagnaccio, or Chestnut Pie, is a typical Tuscan recipe based on chestnut flour. It has a strong flavour, thanks to the strength of chestnuts and the presence of rosemary, even if attenuated by the sweetness of the raisins and the softness of the pine nuts. The original recipe does not include the use of sugar, which is now almost always used. A perfect alternative for those who are gluten intolerant and do not contain dairy products, eggs, and butter.

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