Let’s discover an ancient Emilian delight: the Africanetti

Africanetti are eggnog-based biscuits. Here’s how to prepare these quick and easy desserts with the typical recipe of Emilia Romagna.

The Africanetti are simple and delicious Emilian biscuits whose history dates back to far back in time. The first official trace in fact dates back to 1872 when the Francesco Bagnoli Factory began its production. Originally the name was Biscotti Zabaglione Secco Bagnoli precisely because they were made from a liquid dough based on egg yolks, sugar and marsala cooked in ingot-shaped molds. These simple and delicious Emilian biscuits in the early 1900s make Margherita di Savoia fall in love with them and so they are renamed Biscotti Margherita.

They become Africanetti at a later time, either to celebrate the colonial victories of the kingdom, or because it is precisely in these remote places that they were sent as sustenance to the soldiers and as food for the sick . Today, these typical biscuits, after having received several prestigious awards over the years, have been included among the Traditional Agri-food Products of Emilia Romagna. There is probably no typical product that has a more ancient history than Africanetti, sweet and delicious biscuits made with eggnog.

How to prepare Africanetti with the original recipe

1. Africanetti are the simplest sweets in the world. To prepare them, combine the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk them with an electric whisk for 10 minutes, until they are light and fluffy.
2. Incorporate the vanilla bean seeds taken by cutting it lengthwise and scraping the inside and, still with the whips in action, pour in the marsala.
3. Grease to perfection the aluminum molds of the shape you prefer (rectangular, oval or round) and pour the mixture filling them 2/3 full.
4. Cook at 130 ° C for 25 minutes then let them cool completely in the mold before removing them: they are very delicate due to the empty inside.

Among the other typical recipes of Emilia Romagna we recommend you try thecanterelle , a sort of pancake suitable for any time of the day.

storage

Africanetti can be kept in a tin box for up to two weeks . The most important aspect is to keep them away from sources of moisture.