{"id":8719,"date":"2026-10-27T13:27:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T04:27:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/?post_type=sweetlore&p=8719"},"modified":"2026-10-31T18:52:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:52:21","slug":"cavallucci","status":"publish","type":"sweetlore","link":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/en\/sweetlore\/cavallucci\/","title":{"rendered":"Cavallucci"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cavallucci are baked sweets popular in Siena, in Italy\u2019s Tuscany region, made by mixing walnuts, candied fruit and spices. Beneath the pale, rustic surface, they are packed with pieces of nuts and peel. The dough is firm and releases the aroma of anise, cinnamon and nutmeg.<\/p>\n

\"An
An example of anise seeds. Location unknown. Photo: OttawaAC \/ Source<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>. Image used as provided by the source; no changes to its content after retrieval.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Cross-section
Cross-section of cavallucci from Siena. 2017, Siena, Italy. Photo: Nemo bis \/ Source<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>. The original image is a cropped version. Reduced-size version from the source; no changes to its content after retrieval.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Binding the dough with honey or sugar syrup<\/h2>\n

In one example from a Siena baker, flour, honey, orange peel, walnuts, almonds and spices are used. In another method, water, sugar and honey are warmed and then combined with flour, nuts and candied fruit. When the flour and nuts are bound with warm syrup, the dough becomes firm after baking. The proportions of ingredients and the shaping vary, but with every bite you can enjoy the crunch of the nuts and the aroma of the spices.<\/p>\n

The cookbook by the culinary writer Pellegrino Artusi also includes a method for making Sienese cavallucci at home. Sugar and water are boiled until the syrup forms threads, and walnuts, candied orange, anise, spices and flour are mixed in. The sticky dough is dusted with flour and baked over gentle heat so that it does not brown too much.<\/p>\n

Artusi himself wrote that it is difficult to fully reproduce the professional bakers\u2019 handling at home.<\/p>\n

\"Cavallucci
Cavallucci arranged on a plate. 2016, location unknown. Photo: judywitts \/ Source<\/a> \/ CC BY 2.0<\/a>. Reduced-size version from the source; no changes to its content after retrieval.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The \u201clittle horses\u201d name and records of gift-giving<\/h2>\n

The name cavallucci suggests \u201clittle horses,\u201d and there are several stories about its origin. One explanation links it to the people who changed horses at waystations for travelers and often ate these sweets; another story says the sweets were once stamped with a small horse mark. Both are explanations that have come to be attached to the name of the sweet, and being baked in the shape of a horse is not a requirement for today\u2019s sweet.<\/p>\n

Local sources state that in 1515, sweets called \u201cberriguocoli\u201d were distributed to Siena\u2019s officials as holiday gifts, and present them as connected to today\u2019s cavallucci. However, it is not known whether the sweets under this old name had the same recipe as today\u2019s cavallucci. Besides Siena, Massa Marittima also has a slightly different way of making them.<\/p>\n

Glossary<\/h2>\n

Pellegrino Artusi<\/strong>: Author of the Italian cookbook \u201cScience in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well.\u201d<\/p>

Anise<\/strong>: A plant with a sweet aroma. Its seeds are used as a spice.<\/p>

Berriguocoli<\/strong>: The name of a sweet recorded in connection with the gifts of 1515. It is presented as linked to cavallucci.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cavallucci are baked sweets popular in Siena, in Italy\u2019s Tuscany region, made by mixing walnuts, candied fruit and spices. Beneath the pale, rustic surface, they are packed with pieces of nuts and peel. The dough is firm and releases the aroma of anise, cinnamon and nutmeg.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":8021,"menu_order":490,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_parade_sweetlore_meta":{"en":"Cavallucci","subtitle":"Ingredients and Preparation of Cavallucci","topics":"Walnuts and candied peel \/ Anise and other spices \/ A rustic baked sweet handed down in Siena","country":"Siena, Tuscany, Italy","show_toc":true,"ingredients":["fruit","nuts","spice"],"texture":[],"occasion":[],"method":["baked"],"season":[]},"footnotes":""},"sweetlore_category":[151],"class_list":["post-8719","sweetlore","type-sweetlore","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"sweetlore_related_products":null,"sweetlore_related_faqs":null,"sweetlore_related_voices":null,"sweetlore_related_mode":"auto","sweetlore_related_articles":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t