"Chalda: The Traditional Festive Sweet from Florence, Considered a Prototype of Waffles"

Traditional Italian Baked Sweets＊

Have you ever heard of Chialda, a sweet treat from the Tuscany region of central Italy?

Chialda is a simple, thin baked sweet made from flour, butter, eggs, and milk.

Here’s what they look like ♩

It is said to have roots in waffles and gofres. They do look quite similar...!

By the way, the Tuscany region is famous for its art city Florence and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Although Chialda is not very well-known in Japan, it has existed in Italy since the 14th century (1300s) and has traditionally been consumed as a celebratory sweet during weddings.

There are records of it being served at the weddings of the Medici family, a prominent banking and political family that rose to fame during the Renaissance period in Florence.*

At that time, the crests of both families were molded on the front and back.

➡️ In Italy, there is also pasta made with family crests, which is similarly served at weddings.

In Japan, "La Cialda" in Jiyugaoka is famous

You can find Chialda at a shop called "La Cialda" in Jiyugaoka, Japan♡

It was the first specialty shop for Chialda to open in Japan, using special baking molds imported from Italy to hand bake each one.

The baking mold is quite stylish♡

With this waffle maker-like tool, crispy Chialda is produced.

The shop offers plain Chialda made with organic cane sugar and cheese Chialda blended with multiple types of cheese.

Each piece costs 200 yen.

It's perfect for sandwiching with jam or cream, or as a topping for ice cream or parfaits.

They are not too heavy or too sweet, which is also nice. They look very delicious♡

It might also make a great petit gift♡

For Japanese people, the traditional Italian baked sweet Chialda is quite rare.

Many people may not have tried it, so it would surely be a hit as a petit gift at weddings.

At the Jiyugaoka shop "La Cialda", it seems you can request bridal gifts and petit gifts. At 200 yen each, it's affordable enough to want to give two pieces to each person♡

There's also an online shop, so I recommend trying it out for yourself first♩

➡ Visit "La Cialda" website here

➡ Check out "La Cialda" on Instagram too＊