Saturday, June 25, 2011

Burano (Venice): Essi and Copeta?

Burano

If there is a place I wish to return for cookies, it will have to be Burano, an island in the Venetian Lagoon. Most tourists would visit Venice between 10am to 5pm, for the hotels at mainland Italy would be cheaper. To avoid the mad crowd of Venice, our tour director has arranged for a ferry or "water taxi" to explore the Venetian lagoon, bringing us to Murano, the island of the glass blowers and Burano, a colour island traditionally known for lacemaking and fishing,

Lunch @ Burano

We had lunch in one of the restaurants called Trattoria Raspo De Ua (Alloggi Salone Interno, Tel: 730095) for a fabulous meal of Italian cuisine and being a fishing village, one can expect lasagna, risotto, calamari and grilled sole, all made of seafood or are seafood. But what was surprisingly was not the main courses but the "desserts" served.

Essi and Copeta

Pardon me if I get the names wrong but I am merely copying the labels I have gotten from the tags in some of the pastry shops. In addition, google doesn't seems to help me much but I can rest assure you that you will not miss these pastries when you step afoot onto Burano. The "S" Shaped Cookies seems to be traditionally Italian for we not only see it at Burano but also in Florence and San Gimignano. These cookies are meant to be dipped in white wine before consumption and are sold in a box where they bundle a packet of these cookies and a bottle of wine.

Panificio Pasticceria Savina

Apart from these "S" Shaped Cookies, it is the caramelized almonds crisps that makes me so addicted. I am not sure about the name but such cookies seems to be called Copeta in some websites. Anyway, shortly after our meal, we swing by Panificio Pasticceria Savina which is just two shops space away from the restaurant we dine in and a small packet of these almond crisps (about 10 pieces) costs 6 EUR (about SGD$10.60). If you happen to be there, make sure you grab a few packs of these goodies, our regret was not buying enough to feed all our hungry family members.

Traditional Pastry Shop @ Burano

Anyway, apart from these caramelized almonds, there are many traditional pastry shops which sells the "Essi" like the one shown in the picture. We asked the shop owner for his recommendation and gotten ourselves a piece of Cantucci Alle Mandorle (1 EUR, SGD$1.75). Made from ground almond, this cookie has a crisp crust and slight chewy interior, a must-try in our opinion for we couldn't find a similar taste in other parts of Italy.

Panificio Pasticceria Savina
Savina Di Palmisano Luigi
Via B. Galuppi 670
Tel: 041 730060
Burano Venezia
Partita Iva 036 466 702 77

Anyway, if you happen to be in Florence, there is a store that sells similar pastries but pricier and that the biscuits / cookies has a distinctive nutmeg and cinnamon taste.

Migone

According to the local guide, Migone is recommended and that Biscotti is an Italian word that translates to “twice-baked.” In the past, wheat flour is strictly used to make bread and the excess bread is sliced and soaked in syrup before baking the second time. Hence, this double-baking gives biscotti its dry and crumbly texture.

Biscotti

Lastly, this shop can gift-wrapped it for you and even packed it nicely into a cardboard box, making it easier to bring it back home.

Migone
Via Calzaiuoli, 85/R
50122 Firenze (Italia)
Tel: 055 214004

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