Amaretti
Amaretti are pastries based on almond paste prepared with sugar, egg white, sweet and bitter almonds. Aromas, honey, milk, and leaven can be added. They have been probably invented by the Arabs and, from the Mediterranean basin - especially from Sicily - became part of the cooking tradition of the Normans, Spanish, and French. Pilgrims and monasteries ensured their diffusion, made easier by the fact that these pastries are easy to preserve. They are round with a wrinkled surface. Crunchy amaretti have an inner alveolar structure. They are made by kneading sugar with egg whites, and adding almonds in order to obtain a rather compact dough. Walnut-size balls are formed, and slightly squeezed. They are baked in the oven at a medium temperature.
