This sweet treat dating back to medieval times is made of two wafers with a crunchy filling. Where we come from, this filling is made of walnuts and honey.

The origins of this tradition seem to come from monasteries, given that monks used to make biscuits and dry pastries often using the same technique as for making wafers for Mass.

While the name “coppetta”, originally “cöpeta”, comes from the Arabic word “qubbiat” meaning “made of almonds”. In fact, this sweet treat can be found filled with walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts, depending on the area.

Wafers made like this were so popular that, as far back as the 1200s, Savoy courts had “official chefs” called nebulatores, who specialised in cooking them.

To make these crunchy, delicious coppette, you used to have to cook them with special wafer irons. These metal plates, alongside bearing family initials, were engraved with symbols or designs that were left impressed onto the surface of the wafer during cooking. Anyone who could not afford these irons or wafer makers had to use a common cast iron clothes iron which became an effective kitchen utensil when necessary. The important thing was to firmly flatten the wafers, so they did not curl up when in contact with the moist filling.

Coppette di Sant’Antonio are usually made in winter for the Feast of Saint Anthony on 17 January. The recipe for these wafers has been handed down from generation to generation and requires the use of wheat flour, melted butter, sugar and eggs, while the filling is made by bringing honey to the boil over a low heat and then adding walnuts and caramelising them.

Have you ever tried them before?

Sources:

• Chiara Parente, “A tavola con le nonne – suggestioni, vini e sapori del Tortonese” Edo Edizioni Oltrepò, 2006
• betulla.eu