Florentines

The last couple days have seen a lot of cooking, a lot of Christmas movies playing in the background, and a lot of eating.  Among the things coming out of my kitchen this week are hazelnut florentines.  Many people have assumed that florentines are named for the city of Florence, Italy.  However, a little research shows that no one knows for certain why they are named as they are.

Florentines are generally made from nuts and/or fruits, a small amount of flour, a bit of cream, some sugar or honey or a sweet corn syrup, some butter, perhaps some flavorings such as vanilla or citrus zest, maybe a little chocolate.  There are many varieties.  As they cook they spread out until they are thin and often somewhat lacy, like a lace doily.  When removed from the oven they are very soft, but as they cool they firm up, actually to a crisp, unless they haven't been cooked long enough in which case they are a bit chewy but still nice.  They are sometimes coated with chocolate on one side, or dipped so that half is coated.  They are delicious no matter the variation.

But no one can quite agree on where they come from.  One of the most plausible explanations I've read is that they were created in France in honor of Catherine de Medici, an Italian from Florence who lived in the 1500s and who married Prince Henry of France who would later become King Henry II.  There is a whole story with many plots and subplots to be found in reading about this figure in French history.  I won't go into that in this post, but I will say that it's worth the time to read if you find historical figures intriguing.

Some people have simply suggested that this cookie comes from Florence as a traditional preparation.  However, many others will say that florentines don't really bear any resemblance to other traditional foods from Florence or anywhere else in the Tuscan region of Italy.

I find it fascinating that in this advanced time in our civilization where a tremendous amount of information is available at the click of a mouse on a computer screen or the swipe of a finger on a phone app, in reality there are so many things that are unknown.  This little mystery as to the origins of this cookie may seem only a small matter in the cosmos, but I find it intriguing nonetheless.