amaretti

Amaretti is the plural of amaretto, a diminutive of amaro (bitter). Amaro comes from Latin amarus (bitter). The cookies are made from almonds (or a mixture of sweet and bitter almonds), sugar, and egg whites. The bitter almonds provide the distinctive flavor — a sharpness that cuts through the sweetness. Bitter almonds contain amygdalin, which the body metabolizes into hydrogen cyanide. The heat of baking and the small quantities used in amaretti make them safe to eat.

The town of Saronno, near Milan, claims to have invented amaretti in 1718. The story involves a young couple who baked almond cookies for the visiting Cardinal of Milan. The Lazzaroni family has been making Amaretti di Saronno since 1888, packaging them in their distinctive red tins. Saronno is also the home of amaretto liqueur, which shares the almond-bitter flavor profile. The town's economy runs on bitterness.

Italian amaretti come in two varieties: amaretti croccanti (crispy, hard) and amaretti morbidi (soft, chewy). The crispy version is more common commercially; the soft version is more prized by bakers. Both use the same base ingredients, but different proportions and techniques produce opposite textures. In professional kitchens, crushed amaretti are used as a flavoring for fillings, toppings, and sauces.

Amaretti cookies are available globally, usually in the crispy commercial form. The Lazzaroni brand, wrapped in tissue paper that can be twisted and lit on fire (it floats up as it burns), is one of the most recognized Italian cookie brands worldwide. The tissue paper trick has been performed at restaurant tables for decades. A cookie named 'little bitter one' became a party trick.