Antonio Mattei, The Biscotti Maker In Prato
“To dip or not to dip, that is the question”. Served after a long meal, together with Vin Santo, is one of the most typical desserts you can find anywhere in Tuscany, the lovely, palatable, almond biscotti. You can eat them dry, or dip them in the fragrant liquor or even a cup of espresso.
One of our favorite family trips from Villa Campestri Olive Oil Resort remains a visit to nearby Prato, a Tuscan town only 45 minutes away by car. It also is home to the famous almond cantucci, known the world over as some of the best, local desserts in this part of Italy. One of our favorite producers is Antonio Matteri, in a small elegant shop in town, started by baker Antonio during the Risorgimento period in Italy. The 19th century period when Italy as a country was uniting as a whole, a new age of thinking and coming together in both a literal and figurative sense.
In 1908 the business came into the hands of Ernesto Pandolfini who, having already worked for some time at the Mattei workshop, knew how to maintain the founder’s levels of creativity and the high quality standards the biscuit factory had attained.
His baked-twice cookies often referred to as ‘cantucci’ (corners) or ‘cantuccini’ (smaller version) gained him international fame, and a huge local following to boot, and now cookies from Prato are recognized everywhere. He was also friends with famed cookbook author, Pellegrino Artusi, who write La Scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiare bene (The Science of Cooking and the Art of Eating Well) who noted Antonio to be a good man.
The secret to these excellent cookies are the quality of the ingredients, Antonio’s biscotti are the gold-standard of Prato’s almond biscuits and are made with the highest quality of sugar, flour, eggs, pine-nuts and almonds.
One of the lesser-known deliciousness that comes from the factory is the “Brutti Buoni” made with chopped almonds, sugar, egg whites of eggs and flour. The play on words comes from the locally-held belief that the ugliest things to look at are also the best tasting (we agree), the cookies are served in the telltale blue bags with strings, a homage to the traditions a town has kept for its most esteemed biscotti company.
Only an hour away from Villa Campestri, visit in the morning when you can see the ovens baking the goods. Refer to the map below for directions.
Antonio Mattei, 22 Via Ricasoli, Prato. http://www.biscottimatteideseo.it/,
Open 8am-7.30pm Tue-Fri, 8am-1pm & 3.30-7.30pm Sat, 8am-1pm Sun, closed July.
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