These "health biscuits" called Biscotti della Salute are a sort of crisp toast cut diagonally, and are light, crumbly and with a scent of aniseed.
The ingredients are wheat flour, sugar, natural yeast, vegetable fats, salt and aromas.
Production Area
The production area covers Ovada in the Province of Alessandria and other areas of Piedmont.
How it is made
The production methods are based on natural leavening, done with a first dough mixture of wheat flour, natural leavening agent and water. It is left to rest and rise for some time, and is again sprinkled with flour and water. It is again left to rest to continue rising.
Then the other ingredients are added and mixed until the dough is smooth and given the elongated shape (as in the baguette breads). They are then arranged in a baking pan and further left to rise in a cellar with constant temperature and humidity.
When cooked and dried, the mass is cut diagonally, to form the biscuits which are then toasted.
History
The origin of this typical biscuit is lost in time.
The production method based on natural leavening has always been kept secret by a small group of people. The local distribution remained as such for a long time; it was revolutionized by railway workers who transported them in large tin cans, and began selling them in many cities in northern Italy.
After the Second World War, some neo-entrepreneurs from Ovada started the industrial production of "Health" Biscuits and combining them with other local treats, commercialized them at a larger scale.
Interesting features
Health cookies are ideal for breakfast. They have always been considered an excellent nourishment for children, elders, the sick and convalescing and for all those who need an energetic but digestable breakfast. They are specially adapted for athletes.
