Cavallucci – Italy
Cavallucci is a decadent Italian Christmas pastry, and its name translates to “small horses,” in Sienese origin. It contains Tuscan millefiori honey, a typical key component of the dough for these chewy biscuits. These traditional Christmas cookies in Italy were first created in Siena and contained flour, nuts, candied fruit, anise, almonds, coriander, and various spices.
Originally, Cavallucci was made using only flour, sugar, honey, and anise seeds; no nuts or candied fruit were used. Because of their shape, which is similar to a horse foot, or because they had been imprinted with a small horse on top in the past, it is believed that the name derives from the word “cavallo,” which means horse. The pastry is dipped into sweet dessert wines like Vin Santo before consumption.