The pride of Italian cuisine, Asolo Dolce Cantuccini, a Tuscan flavor dating back to the 16th century, takes its name from its traditional shape formed by cutting the dough after baking. Throughout Tuscany there are numerous artisan confectioners, given the region's importance during various historical periods: the establishment and spread of the art of making pastries and confectionery in Tuscany was therefore underpinned by the numerous exchanges of goods, spices, ideas and recipes that the region's central location made possible over a considerable stretch of time.
The ingredients used to prepare ‘Cantuccini Toscani’ / ‘Cantucci Toscani’, and especially the almonds and the butter as the only fat used, give them very distinctive characteristics, in terms of quality, fragrance and porosity, which endorse their reputation as a typical biscuit that is both wholesome and refined. The basic biscuit-making techniques are part of the bedrock of Tuscan tradition and for this reason followed widely.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the historian Ferri bears witness to the inclusion of almonds in the recipe when he contends that ‘it was not wrong to use the term cantucci to refer to almond biscuits’ and the writer Giuseppe Pitré describes cantucci as ‘a type of biscuit’ typical of Tuscany in his popular Tuscan novels, compiled during his travels in the region.
At the beginning of the 20th century, thanks also to the ever more large-scale production by the region's many bakeries, ‘Cantuccini Toscani’ / ‘Cantucci Toscani’ were considered as a well-known speciality even beyond regional boundaries, and cited as an example of a typical Tuscan biscuit. That it is included in a publication by Hoepli in 1907 of a manual - written by G. Ciocca entitled ‘Il Pasticciere e confettiere moderno’ [Modern patisseries and bonbonnières] is evidence of this. ‘Cantuccini Toscani’ / ‘Cantucci Toscani’ became popular beyond national boundaries - also because the use of butter and raising agents means that they keep for a long time and are especially suitable for export - to the extent that they are among the best known Italian dry biscuits in the world, while retaining a strong connection to the Tuscan region.
Accompanying ‘Cantuccini Toscani’ / ‘Cantucci Toscani’ with vin santo, a product which is also strongly linked to the Region of Tuscany, has helped to establish its reputation as a dessert biscuit, to be dipped into liqueur wines. This is evidenced by the many typical Tuscan restaurants that offer their customers ‘Cantuccini Toscani’ / ‘Cantucci Toscani’ accompanied with vin santo for dessert. An article published in the online version of the il Giornale daily newspaper on 15 November 2010 reported that the president of the United States had asked to have ‘Cantuccini Toscani’ / ‘Cantucci Toscani’ accompanied by vin santo on his New Year Eve's menu.
In addition to the multitude of bakeries and patisseries that make ‘Cantuccini Toscani’ / ‘Cantucci Toscani’ especially for traditional holidays and festive events, the fact that this product is stocked by major supermarkets and food stores in various Italian provinces demonstrates that this Tuscan product is consumed throughout Italy.