This is the recipe for Saint Francis of Assisi’s favorite cookie

To celebrate the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, on October 4, we share with you the recipe for the favorite cookie of the man who sanctified himself by embracing poverty.

Saint Francis of Assisi had a special weakness for some Italian cookies called “mostaccioli”, which have almonds and honey and come from medieval times.

According to history, the patron saint of Italy tried these cookies for the first time on one of his trips to Rome, when he visited Jacoba de Settesoli, a noblewoman from the Frangipani family, who became his close friend and later entered the Secular Franciscan Order.

A 14th century manuscript titled The Compilation of Assisiwhich collects anecdotes about the saint, reveals that he liked mostaccioli cookies so much that it was the last thing he asked to eat before he died, on October 3, 1226.

It is said that when Saint Francis was weak on his deathbed, he asked his companions to write a letter to Jacoba.

In the text, the saint asked his friend to visit him to say goodbye and to bring him two things: the gray vestments for the funeral and the cookies that he baked for her in Rome and that he liked so much.

From then until today it is customary to honor the memory of Saint Francis of Assisi by cooking his favorite sweet every October 4.

The art historian Giuseppe Cassio, co-author with Fr. Pietro Messa of the book The food of San Francisco: man also lives on bread, explained to the National Catholic Register about the deep meaning of this candy.

“These cookies embodied this deep relationship of friendship and respect that Saint Francis had with Jacoba de Settesoli, who lovingly cooked this sweet for him; and in that sense, food became a key to the human heart, an ideal instrument of testimony,” he said.

In their book, based on writings and testimonies of other Franciscan friars who lived with the saint, the authors debunk some myths about Saint Franciscan’s relationship with asceticism and food.

The authors recalled that although “fasting was very important” for Saint Francis, he did not seek “to let himself die, but simply to get in touch with God, depriving himself of something as fundamental as food.”

In that sense, they clarified that although some mistakenly believe that the saint despised his own body, the saint “did like food.”

In fact, “he had a predilection for the traditional local dishes that were cooked for him, and he used to eat all kinds of meat, as well as freshwater shrimp, and a lot of honey and grapes,” they indicated.

In addition, they indicated that the saint used to share food with others, because it was a means to express his love for his neighbor and “the true meaning of the celebration.”

For example, “He did not at all expect his friars to fast during the holidays,” and at Christmas “he wanted all men and animals to rejoice and be satisfied with large and delicious meals,” he added.

In conclusion, “San Francisco knew how to perfectly combine sobriety and the pleasure of taste, always giving importance to food at the right time.”

Recipe for the favorite cookie of Saint Francis of Assisi

Fray Ángel Ramón Serrano, host of the “Franciscan Cuisine” program on the YouTube channel of the Franciscans Santo Espíritu del Monte Hospedería of Spain, explained in a video the recipe for “mostaccioli” cookies, the favorites of its saint founder.

The friar pointed out that although cookies are traditional in Naples, Italy, and include chocolate in both their composition and coating, the cookies that Saint Francis would have tried did not have this ingredient, since chocolate did not exist when the saint was alive (12th century and S.XIII); And furthermore, he specified that the cookies would not be round, but rather rhombus-shaped.

Finally, Fray Ángel recommended that the solid ingredients weigh a total of twice as much as the liquid ingredients, so that the cookies have the appropriate consistency; and assured that the preparation is quite simple to carry out.

Below is the recipe for “mostaccioli” cookies:

Ingredients:

-150g almonds in small pieces (not ground)
-500g of flour
-180g of sugar
-chemical yeast or bicarbonate
-10g of spices: cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon
-200ml of sunflower oil (not intensely flavored, like olive oil)
-60ml of liquor (it can be rum, which already existed in medieval times)
-80g of honey
-oven baking paper

Preparation:

1. Mix the flour, almonds, sugar and baking powder or baking soda in a container.
2. Grind the cloves in a mortar and mix it with the ground cinnamon and grated nutmeg. Then, add the spices to the container and mix.
3. Add the oil to the mixture first, then the liquor and then the honey.
4. Place the dough on the parchment paper and stretch it with your hands, trying to give it the shape of a rectangle. Then, cover the dough with another piece of paper and stretch it further with a rolling pin.
5. Cut the dough with the knife diagonally, until it forms several rhombuses.
6. Carefully remove each rhombus and place them apart from each other on the baking dish. Then, bake them for 10 minutes.
7. Let the cookies cool so that they acquire that characteristic crunchy texture and then serve.

“What sweetened the last moments of Saint Francis, these sweets, but surely it sweetened him more to have his brothers by his side (on his deathbed) and seeing that his life was surrounded by young shoots,” concluded Fray Ángel.

Translated and adapted by Cynthia Pérez. Originally Posted by National Catholic Register.