Lucca Treats

The people of Lucca take their food seriously and are dedicated to continuing many ancient cooking traditions. Thankfully for me, Lucca has plenty of delights to keep my sweet tooth happy and I have had the pleasure of exploring them. Mysteriously, many such treats have required daily checking, just in case they change in any way (haha). Some of the unique and most traditional sweets of Lucca include buccellato, torta co'becchi and brigidini.

Buccellato Toscano is a traditional sweet of Lucca and now has many versions throughout Tuscany, Liguria and even Sicily. Initially made in the form of a ring (ciambella), now it's mostly sold as a elongated roll shape. Soft and fragrant when just baked, it is similar to fruit bread with the added curious addition of aniseed. Ingredients include flour, water, milk, sugar, aniseed, butter and sultanas. 

The torta co'becchi fascinated me when I first heard of it as it is a sweet tart predominately consisting of vegetables! A traditional dessert of Lucca and the neighbouring Garafagnana, it is a light cake with a combination of sweet and unsweetened ingredients. A soft cake-like base is filled with a mixture of parsley, bread softened with milk, cinnamon, pepper, pine nuts, finely grated mild pecorino cheese, currants, egg and sugar. Who would think such a mixture would work but it tastes so good we have found ourselves going back for more and more. Bakeries also sell it in tarts half filled with a chocolate and half with co'becchi.

Brigidini is sold by street side vendors scattered throughout Lucca and is often eaten as a snack or with coffee. In simple terms, it is the result of a mistake made when a more traditional dessert was being prepared. Instead of discarding with the resulting error and to avoid wastage, the 'mistake' was eaten and thoroughly enjoyed. Now sold in large packets, the irregular shaped waffle textured biscuits have a sweet liquorice flavour. They contain flour, sugar, egg, and aniseed essence and are baked to a light brown colour. They are popularly eaten at celebratory times such as during Easter but can also be eaten throughout the year and are extremely more-ish. How fortunate!! ....Now for more walking!