Cuneesi, Artisanal Chocolate from Piedmont
Piedmont is mostly known for its wines and braised meat in the culinary world. However, the small city of Cuneo reserves some pretty amazing gastronomic surprises to those who can go beyond the obvious… Cuneesi, for example, are wonderful artisan chocolates invented in Cuneo at the beginning of the 1900s, and now renowned all over the world because… well, beyond being delicious, they are rare: the process of making them cannot be industrialized!
The traditional cuneesi are small, bite-sized cioccolatini (chocolate truffles) with a heart of rum encased in the thinnest of meringue-made wafer. Since the wafer breaks in the industrial process, they can only be made artisanally. Which, believe me, makes for a pretty amazing chocolate experience, although it needs to be consumed within three weeks at the most from their manufacturing!
The oldest and most respected pastry stores in Cuneo have their stores in the main square, Piazza Galimberti, and manufacture their own cuneesi. Arione, who originally invented and patented the process of making cuneesi, is possibly the most famous pastry store in town, but I am partial to the ones produced by Giraudo, a competing outfit just a few doors down.
Today, you can find cuneesi in a variety of flavors- hazelnut, grappa, etc.- although the rum ones are still the most traditional. The best feature of it all? Well, A.G. Ferrari’s buyers are no wimps. In fact, they are getting regular shipments of cuneesi from Giraudo!! So, find out when they hit the shelves next- and remember, they must be consumed FAST!
Filed under: Bakeries and Pasticcerie, Peninsula, San Francisco, South Bay
