L'Italo-Americano

LIFESTYLE FASHION FOOD ARTS ADVICE THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 2023 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano W h e n I t h i n k a b o u t h a z e l - nuts and Italy together, that gooey confection—often found in a collectible jar—immediately c o m e s t o m i n d . Y e s , I ' m t a l k i n g a b o u t N u t e l l a , a c l e v e r a n d c l o y i n g f r i e n d that begs to be slathered on toast, or eaten by the spoon- ful. But the hazelnut has a much deeper place in the Italian culinary tradition— especially when it comes to baking—than just getting lost in a jar of the creamy spread. This small dry fruit is one of the most beloved in Italy, and from the North- west to the island of Sar- dinia, there are sugar-spun t r e a t s ( a n d s o m e s a v o r y ones as well) that beg to be devoured when in Italy, or attempted at home. Hazelnuts originated in A s i a M i n o r a n d l a t e r became available to both the Greeks and Romans, who believed the trees to have magical properties. Ancient Romans gifted small hazel- nut trees thinking that these would bring happiness to the recipients. Hazelnut tree w o o d w a s u s e d t o m a k e m a g i c w a n d s , a n d i t w a s believed that the hazelnut tree was so solid that even lightning couldn't strike it down. Today, the many varieties of Italian hazelnuts are used less for magic and more for producing some of the coun- try's most revered sweets. While there are many vari- eties, including the Roman hazelnut and a few notable o n e s f r o m C a m p a n i a , the Piedmont hazelnut is a r g u a b l y t h e m o s t w e l l - known and revered. Around 1806, Napoleon—who was then ruling the Kingdom of Italy—banned the importa- tion of chocolate from Eng- land while at war with the country. As a result, Pied- mont chocolatiers tried to make chocolate last longer by adding the local hazelnut to the sweet, creating the now-famous gianduia, or c h o c o l a t e h a z e l n u t p a s t e which became a precursor to Nutella. This hazelnut has a pleas- ing, nutty flavor that influ- ences local cake and cookie- m a k i n g . G r o u n d i n t o hazelnut flour, it is the main c o m p o n e n t o f t h e t o r t a langarola, a cake from le Langhe. The rustica ver- sion is made with just three simple ingredients: hazel- nut flour, eggs and sugar, while an alternate version begins with a base layer of s h o r t c r u s t , a t o p w h i c h a wheat and hazelnut flour cake is baked into it, along with a layer of apricot jam and hazelnut cream. From the Piedmont town of Tortona come the well- k n o w n b a c i d i d a m a — lady's kisses—that are so- called as the two hazelnut shortbread biscuits appear like a woman's lips, slightly parted, sandwiched with a chocolate spread. Originally made with hazelnuts (they were the least expensive to bake with), they can also be made with ground almonds. F r o m j u s t o u t s i d e T u r i n c o m e s a n o t h e r h a z e l n u t cookie cousin, the nocci- olini di Chivasso, tiny meringues made with hazel- n u t f l o u r . O r i g i n a l l y called noasèt in Piemontese d i a l e c t ( o r n o i s e t t e s i n French), they were created in 1850 by baker Giovanni Podio. Fascist rule prompt- e d t h e i r n a m e c h a n g e t o s t a n d a r d I t a l i a n , a n d s o they became i nocciolini. Fragile and crunchy, they are commonly paired with zabaione as a dessert. Further north near the French and Swiss borders in the Val d'Aosta, hazelnut flour goes into the tegole v a l d o s t a n e , t h i n w a f e r butter cookies that are also m a d e w i t h a l m o n d f l o u r , e g g w h i t e s a n d s u g a r . Inspired by French tuiles, a local pastry maker coined these in the 1930s, calling them tegole, or tiles, due to their thin, tile-like appear- ance. Modern Piedmont pastry makers have incorporated hazelnuts into their local specialties for decades, well before Nutella was born in t h e 1 9 6 0 s . T a k e t h e cuneesi alla nocciola, a c h o c o l a t e - c o v e r e d c a n d y composed of two meringue layers and filling that origi- nated with the Pasticceria A r i o n e i n C u n e o i n t h e early 1920s. Although the original variety was rum- filled, one of today's clas- sics is filled with the classic c h o c o l a t e a n d h a z e l n u t gianduia-like pairing. Fur- ther up north in Biella is another famous confection house, Pasticceria Jeantet, JESSICA S. LEVY w h i c h i s k n o w n f o r t h e l o c a l b i e l l e s i . A l s o called canestrelli and can estrej, they are not to be confused with the thicker butter cookie from Liguria, but are instead identifiable by the two thin wafers, rec- tangular or round depend- ing on the variety, that are s a n d w i c h e d w i t h v a r i o u s fillings, one of which is a gianduia cream featuring the Piedmont hazelnut. It was also in the hills of the Piedmont region that the popular hazelnut found its way into flavoring sweet a l c o h o l . T h e t a l e g o e s that Frangelico liqueur was developed three cen- turies ago when monk Fra Angelico toasted wild hazel- nuts and infused them in alcohol, along with cocoa and vanilla. Today, the hazelnut can b e t u r n e d i n t o a s a v o r y treat as well. At the pasta and sauce mix-and-match e a t e r y P a s t ò i n T u r i n , a creamy and woodsy Pied- m o n t h a z e l n u t p e s t o i s served with fresh pasta and balanced out by salty bites o f s p e c k . F o r t y m i n u t e s a w a y i n t h e t o w n o f F e r - r e r e , t h e L u i s e t salumeria incorporates the famous nut into their pork product. Salame alla nocci- o l a P i e m o n t e f e a t u r e s chopped, toasted pieces of the hazelnut mixed in with the meat. And there's even a place for the leftovers of grinding Piedmont hazel- nuts into a paste. The Tus- can-based De' Magi cheese- makers turn these "waste" products into an edible rind for their pecorino scoiat- tolino (little squirrel pecori- no), a special sheep's milk cheese with a sweet, medi- um-low saltiness. W h i l e t h e m a j o r i t y o f hazelnut traditions come from the North, there are a f e w m o r e s w e e t I t a l i a n hazelnut desserts worthy of mention. The Lazio region i s k n o w n f o r i t s t o z z e t t i v i t e r b e s i a l l e n o c c i o l e . These olive oil-based cook- ies are traditional biscotti ( i n o t h e r w o r d s , t w i c e baked) in the form of long b a t o n s t h a t a r e d r y a n d crunchy. Made with flour, sugar, eggs, olive oil, lemon zest and the tonda gen- tile romana hazelnut— the only Italian variety with DOP status—they are per- fect for dunking into hot tea or coffee. H a z e l n u t s a l s o g r o w in Sardinia, and nestled deep in the Barbagia moun- tains is the town of Belvì, where the sweet matrimo- n i a l t r a d i t i o n s c e n t e r around this frutta secca. Il croccante della sposa is a c y l i n d r i c a l h a z e l n u t a n d honey tower spun high and made exclusively for wed- dings, where it is meant to be broken apart into pieces for eating. Another matri- m o n i a l o f f e r i n g , the Caschettes di Belvì, are made up of a delicate layer o f p a s t r y p i n c h e d i n t o a flowery shape encasing a filling of chestnut honey, hazelnut flour, and a pinch o f c i n n a m o n a n d o r a n g e zest. Resembling the intri- cate embroidery of a bride's veil, these were traditional- ly offered as a gift from the g r o o m t o t h e b r i d e ' s family. W h e t h e r g r o u n d d o w n i n t o f l o u r f o r c o o k i e s o r cakes, infused in alcohol or s p u n w i t h h o n e y t o f o r m edible towers, the hazelnut has an exceptional place in the Italian culinary world that begs to be explored. And for those who simply want to enjoy it blended up with chocolate, it should never be too hard to locate your next jar of Nutella. Beyond Nutella: hazelnuts in the Italian kitchen Hazelnuts are very popular in traditional Italian cuisine (Photo: Adisa/Dreamstime)

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