In England, crumpets are a must with tea, in Italy they are eaten for breakfast, cafés serve them with cappuccino, and we add them to our cake platters.
On Sunday afternoons, around four o'clock, the kitchen comes alive again. Everyone in the family goes in search of something sweet, something delicious, just a little something to put under the tongue after siesta. My grandparents had a very nice carved cabinet, a kind of omarium (a wall-mounted cupboard with a front door and a key lock), whose door opened from top to bottom and was quite heavy. That's why we had to grow up to open it ourselves, but we did our best, because we had the biscuits. Plus, the cupboard had a kind of sweet, slightly cognac and vanilla smell.
Not by chance, because Mum always filled it with small sweets, wrapped and unwrapped, tea biscuits. There were vanilla ones, chocolate ones and coconuts. The chocolate one was mostly popular, so I was lucky to have the coconut one. I liked it because it crumbled in the mouth the most, and in cocoa and tea, because it had coconut instead of flour and wasn't so dense. I've since set up an oomaryum, where you can find everything from chocolate liqueur and real rum to bonbons and snack variations. It's comforting just to think there is one, but of course I hold the key to it in the family.
People with gluten intolerance can also eat biscuits
In the past, when we had guests, I always asked them in advance if they had any food intolerances. Later on, I dropped this unnecessary round and now I basically keep gluten-free biscuits or cakes at home because we like to eat them too. I have often talked about the misconception that gluten is fattening or harmful. Gluten can be consumed in normal amounts and is required by the body, it should only be removed from the diet if your doctor has advised it. I prefer to mix the two, i.e. eat products containing conventional gluten. However, after lunch, it is better to have biscuits, breads, pastries that are gluten free, so that we are not falling over the edge.
The coconut, crumbly cakes
Coconut is a real jolly joker, because as soft as it is, a drop of coconut water in cookies, creams or lattes gives it an intense and exotic taste. We've written about the benefits of coconut and coconut water in our previous columns, but now it helps by replacing traditional flour. No need to overthink it, just stock up on a big batch for the holidays, as it will last you for ages. The good thing about coconut is that it's not only dry, but the grit inside is moist at the same time, so cookies made with it will never be as „shoe leather” hard and dusty as flour ones. The coconut shreds are filled with coconut fat, which keeps the food tender and crumbly. For those who don't have time to knead, crumble or crush coconut, this year you can get your coconut cakes.
