The ladyfingers are among the best known and loved biscuits in Italy. Everyone likes them for their fragrant simplicity. Let's find out together, history, recipe and curiosity about this marvel of Italian cuisine.
Savoiardi: biscuits with royal origins
The ladyfingers are the typical crumbly biscuits with an elongated shape. Good because they are made with simple dough, but with a real flavor. In fact, the “biscuits of the“ Savoia ”princes find their origins in the late Middle Ages. The inventor seems to have been the chef of the court of Amadeus VI. During a royal banquet with French guests, the Savoyards were a great success. As a result, they became the official cookies of the Royals. And from this their fame has never declined.
In fact, many regions have brought some variations. In addition, ladyfingers are well suited for use in other desserts, including tiramisu and trifle. The British call them lady fingers, that is "lady's fingers". For the French, however, they are spoon biscuits that is, “spoon-shaped” biscuits.
Savoiardi: the recipe for cooking them at home
The following biscuit recipe involves making about 50 pieces. To make the royal biscuits you need: 125 grams of egg yolk, 185 grams of sugar, 190 grams of egg whites, 150 grams of flour type 00 and 65 grams of potato starch. For the dusting you need 50 grams of icing sugar and 5 grams of corn starch. The procedure is quite simple, but get the help of an electric whisk. Whip the egg yolks with 100 grams of sugar. Until obtaining a pale yellow colored mixture.
The egg whites must be whipped separately. They must triple their volume, in the meantime add the remaining sugar. Then, on a sheet of parchment paper, sift the flour and starch. At this point, take the bowl with the egg yolks again, add about 1/3 of the egg whites. Always mix from the bottom upwards even when adding the entire mixture.
The moment of cooking in the oven
At this point take a baking tray lined with parchment paper. The mixture should be put in a pastry bag and then make biscuits with a length of about 5-6 centimeters. Sprinkle everything with powdered sugar and corn mixed together. Bake in a preheated static oven at 230 ° for 9 minutes, in the upper part of the oven. Always proceed like this until the end of the mix. It is advisable to also use the starch in the dough together with the flour to obtain smoother and more silky ladyfingers. Always serve the ladyfingers when they are cold. However, they can also be stored in a tin and eaten after a few days. There is also a chocolate variant… just add at least 25 grams of cocoa to the mixture.
Some curiosities about ladyfingers
On 1 August 2005 it was published in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic on "Regulations for the production and sale of certain baked confectionery products", including the Savoyard. This is how it is defined, according to the law. The name "Savoiardo" is reserved for the egg pastry biscuit having a characteristic stick shape with a structure characterized by small and regular alveolation and with an upper surface covered with sugar and a typical aroma of vanilla and lemon. The product must have a percentage of humidity between 4% and 12%. While the biscuit is typically Venetian, there is no lack of regional variants. In Sicily, for example, there is a tendency to make them more biscuits. In Sardinia, the Sardinian Savoiardi are also called Pistoccu. In Naples they are dipped in Sanguinaccio. In short, many variations for the same result: biscuits loved by everyone, young and old!
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