Torrone

The story

According to a jewel-studded but probably later-invented legend, torrone was first made for the wedding of Bianca Maria Visconti and Francesco Sforza in Cremona on October 25, 1441, and shaped like the Torrazzo, the tall bell tower of Cremona's cathedral, which supposedly gave it its name. It is an entertaining story, but it was first written down only in 1914, in a publication of the local chamber of commerce, which makes it more likely marketing than history; actual traces of the sweet in Cremona's apothecary records go back only to the 16th century. Whatever the origin of the tale, torrone made from almonds or hazelnuts, honey and beaten egg white remains one of Italy's most recognizable Christmas sweets, wrapped in distinctive paper printed with postcard-like scenes. Cutting hard torrone is a skill of its own. Too hard a blow shatters it into bits, too soft a one does not break it at all, and many families keep an especially large, heavy knife reserved solely for this December duty.