Cavallucci Senesi

These are not delicate cookies. They are travelers' provisions, meant to sustain pilgrims and merchants along the Via Francigena, the medieval road that connected Canterbury to Rome. Cavallucci were sold at the osterie where horses were stabled, and the name means 'little horses,' though the cookies contain no horsemeat. They are named for the places where they were eaten, not what they contain.

Siena guards its sweets jealously. Panforte, ricciarelli, cavallucci: these are the trinity of Sienese Christmas baking, each with origins stretching back centuries. Cavallucci are the humblest of the three, made with honey and flour and whatever spices the baker could afford. The wealthy added more candied fruit. The poor made do with anise and walnuts. Both versions sustained.

The texture confuses Americans who expect cookies to shatter. Cavallucci are dense, almost chewy, with cracks across their domed surfaces. They soften further after a day or two in a tin, which is when they reach their peak. This is not a flaw. This is the design. Food meant for travel must keep.