Biscotti is derived from the Latin, biscoctus, meaning twice-baked. Despite a Latin etymology, biscotti is an Italian cookie made in the Tuscany region, but has history going all the way back to the times of the Roman Legions. Travelers, warriors, sailors and other journeying peoples packed their bags with this twice baked biscuit since not only was it easy to transport, but held up for long durations of time without becoming moldy because it was so dried out from the baking process. Unlike today, the Romans made biscotti a mainstay of their diet when travelling rather than a sweet treat to enjoy with dessert, coffee, or tea.
A Tuscan baker made the cookie particular popular after he began serving them with a sweet vino after a meal. The guest was able to soak up any wine on the plate with the biscotti, thus enriching it with more flavor and sweetness. Since biscotti was gaining popularity as a treat, rather than merely a traveler’s staple food source, bakers began adding nuts, dried fruits and other treats to it to sweeten it up. Because the Tuscan region has an abundance of almond tress, you can guess that almond biscotti became wildly popular there. Today, you can find myriad flavors of biscotti just about anywhere. Recently, I made cranberry-almond biscotti!
