The “Tozzi alla nocchia”, in the local dialect of Rocca Priora, are traditional crunchy biscuits of this beautiful place in the Alban Hills, prepared with flour, sugar, eggs, yeast, butter (or olive oil) and of course hazelnuts. This dessert boasts a centuries-old tradition dating back to the nineteenth century, when the tozzetti were a constant element on the tables during wedding receptions and, after the religious ceremony, it was usual to pay homage to the bride, also as a sign of gratitude for the invitation, with cotton handkerchiefs filled with sugared almonds and tozzetti. Today, the production and consumption of this gastronomic speciality is no longer limited to big family events. In fact, the historic ovens of this town, the highest of the Castelli Romani with its 768 metres of altitude, have been producing and marketing them throughout the year. Local restaurateurs, on the other hand, usually serve them to customers at the end of the meal, accompanying them with a sweet wine. The traditional recipe involves double baking, with a first step dedicated to mixing all the ingredients and the first baking of loaves with a diameter of about three centimetres. Subsequently, the most important step is to cut the loave, in order to obtain small biscuits about 8-10 cm long, to be baked again to obtain the typical “crunchy” consistency and the characteristic yellow colour. The tozzetto, alongside the “cellette”, a traditional local pasta made with water and flour, are the undisputed protagonists of the festival taking place every year in the town for the feast of St. Anthony Abbot.
The Tozzetto di Rocca Priora has a yellow dough containing hazelnuts. The aroma has the characteristic pronounced notes of eggs and hazelnuts. The taste is harmoniously sweet with a light salty note. Good crunchiness, chewiness and aromatic persistence.