Over the summer, we visited the beautiful Italian region of Abruzzo, and in honor of this Ferragosto, we are sharing a local cookie that is popular in Abruzzo (and also Naples and the rest of Southern Italy), mostaccioli! If you are an English speaker, you may recognize “mostaccioli” as a word that refers to a short tubed pasta often used in pasta al forno pasta bakes. However, this same word refers to paralellogram-shaped cookie flavored with chocolate and cloves. The name of the cookie comes from the word “mosto” – grape must – usually one of the main ingredients, also contributing to its dark color. These cookies are traditionally eaten around the holidays, but you can find them at some bakeries year round. We even bought boxed mostaccioli cookies at Eataly recently. While in the town of Sulmona, we found mostaccioli fresh in a local bakery, which we enjoyed in the town square. Marisa’s Italian Kitchen has a recipe (another variation at She Loves Biscotti) to create your own little slice of la dolce vita.
Eating The World 