Lunardi Cantucci – Tuscan Biscuits from Quarrata
Fratelli Lunardi has been baking in Quarrata, a town in the Pistoia region, since 1966. Massimiliano and Riccardo Lunardi's parents opened a bakery with an attached grocery store there; the sons took over the oven and transformed the bread business into a biscuit bakery, without abandoning bread production. The difference from the Tuscan classic lies in the butter. It makes the biscuits tender, they yield when bitten instead of crumbling, and don't require a glass of Vin Santo alongside. Today, the same biscuit can be found at Käfer in Munich and Selfridges in London.
From Almond Biscuits with IGP to Chocolate Pouches
At the center is the Cantuccio Toscano IGP with whole unpeeled almonds, registered as a protected geographical indication since January 2016. Alongside it are varieties unknown to the regulations: dark chocolate in large pieces, the same chocolate with candied orange, and a light version with candied lemon and honey in the dough. The dough goes into the oven as a long strand and is then diagonally cut immediately while still warm. This step gives the biscuit its name: Cantuccio refers in Tuscany to the end piece left over when slicing a loaf.
