Hidden treasures

The history of Brigidini from Lamporecchio.

Local Traditions
brigidini-lamporecchio-1

The history of Brigidini from Lamporecchio.

Brigidini…so tasty, who hasn’t heard of them? Their sweet scent pervades the air of any countryside fair or festival. They immediately make us think about party celebrations and of childhood’s delicious flavors. Surely many of you will have tasted them at least once! If this is not the case, you should know that Brigidini are crispy and flaky biscuits, with a diameter of about 7 cm and a golden yellow color. The main ingredients are sugar, eggs and flour but their unmistakable flavor comes from the aroma of anise, the real trademark of this delicacy that Artusi described as ‘a sweet or better a special amusement in Tuscany’.

Now they are produced with special plunger machines that churn out one Brigidino after the other in front of the curious eyes of young and old. But do you know that this delicious sweet was actually born in the 16th century? Its creation and also its name are due to the nuns of a convent in Lamporecchio in the Montalbano area. The Brigidine, as the nuns dedicated to Santa Brigida were known, took care of the production of communion wafers. It is not clear if on purpose, by chance or by mistake, but one day they added to the traditional ingredients of the wafers those typical of Brigidino. At that time there were no plunger machines and everything was done by hand. The dough balls were pressed by ‘schiacce’: iron molds that were pressed against each other and then passed over the fire. This is how Brigidini were born, and from Lamporecchio, their place of origin in the province of Pistoia, they have ventured all over the world in their characteristic narrow and long bags!

Are you curious to discover many other typical delicacies of ancient Tuscan traditions? Join one of ou food and wine tour  and you will surely have the chance to taste many sweet and savory treats watered down with excellent wine!

By Insidecom Editorial Staff

Latest posts

Siena: Ricciarelli: Siena’s sweets hailing from the far East.

ricciarelli-
Local Traditions

Alongside panforte, they are among Siena’s sweets that best represent the city. Just thinking about their orange and vanilla scent, s...

View

Florence: Who invented the bistecca alla fiorentina?

bistecca
Local Traditions

The Florentine beefsteak is the undisputed queen of Tuscany’s gastronomy. Including the bone, and strictly cooked in ‘blood’ (i.e...

View

Tuscany: Ferdinando Innocenti: the inventor of the Lambretta.

Lambretta
Big Names

There is no doubt that Tuscany is a land of inventors. Just think of Leonardo da Vinci! Ferdinando Innocenti is also one of them. Do yo...

View

Florence: Negroni was born in Florence!

Negroni
Did you know that...

Now that Mojito and Moscow Mule are all the rage as aperitifs, there are classic cocktails that have stood the test of time and moods. ...

View

Top posts

Arezzo: Guido d'Arezzo and the invention of the music

Guido-d-Arezzo
Big Names

In Talla and surroundings people have no doubt: the inventor of the musical stave, the inventor of the music notes and also of the mode...

View

Pistoia: The Kiss of the Christs in Gavinana

Il-bacio-dei-cristi
Local Traditions

It is a very ancient but still popular rite. Two large processions that meet up with a Christ on the cross in front of each one: the he...

View

Siena: Piero Carbonetti and his tin drum

Piero-Carbonetti
Local Traditions

Subversive, persecuted, anarchist, homeless, dreamer: it is really difficult to define Piero Carbonetti, Tuscan bred and born and Garib...

View

Pisa: Kinzika, the young woman who saved Pisa from the Saracens

Kinzika
Local Traditions

It was really her, a young woman with an Arabian name, Kinzica, of the noble Sismondi family, to save Pisa from being sacked by Saracen...

View