Chocolate, for centuries chocolate was known as “the drink of the Gods”. It was the Maya and then the Aztecs who were the great connoisseurs of this drink and the first growers of cacao. With the discovery of the Americas, chocolate slowly made its way to Europe. Pasticceria Banchelli in its never-ending desire to reach higher and higher standards of quality has used exclusively the best quality chocolate for years, such as Valhrona and Callebaut produced exclusively with cacao and cocoa butter imported from central America – moreover without the addition of vegetable fats. Giovanni’s great passion for chocolate together with his art for confectionary always create a variety of combinations of flavours such as chocolates with chilli pepper, three peppers, Vin Santo (holy wine), in addition to sculptures and hand decorated Easter eggs.

Natural yeast, is also known as “acid yeast”, natural yeast is nothing more than a mixture of water and flour and left in the open for a certain amount of time. During this time, the mixture ferments due to the growth of micro-organisms naturally present in the air, water and ground, the first of which are yeasts. The mixture is thus transformed into a culture of wild autochthonous yeasts, i.e. typical of the environment in which they grow. The quantity of water to flour needs to be properly balanced just like the temperature and humidity which must be constant in order to obtain a high quality “mother” yeast. Compared to leavening by yeast in rolls leavening with natural yeast is slower and more laborious, but the advantage is in the quality of the final product: in fact, it is the longer period of fermentation which is responsible for the production of substances which contribute to the fragrance and aroma; the mixture’s higher level of acidity is a hindrance to the development of moulds; thus it lasts longer and there is less need for preservatives. The development of gas with natural yeast is slower and more gradual and involves the formation of a finer and more regular honeycomb structure. Lastly, it is easier to digest due to the increased action of the enzymes during fermentation.

Pepper bread and Etruscan bread , typical Tuscan confectionary. The mixture consists of almonds, hazelnuts, citron, candid orange and spices, including cinnamon and obviously pepper! Etruscan bread owes its name to the historic area in which Cortona lies.

“Spolette”, a sort of sweet bread with naturally leavened raisins. They are traditional Easter sweets which are only produced for 40 days a year, from Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter.