Old World Italian Cialde Wafer Iron Now Available Worldwide from Our Home Village
Industry: Food & Drink
Dana Point, CA (PRUnderground) January 2nd, 2017
According to local Tuscan folklore, convent nuns made Eucharistic hosts for local churches during the Renaissance period using an engraved wafer iron. During festival times, they would add sugar and anise seeds for a unique sweet treat called “Cialde”. An exact wafer iron replica is now available to pastry chefs, home bakers, and food enthusiasts worldwide.
Born in the Medieval village of Pistoia, Italy, this new Cialde Wafer Iron replica is fully-functional and faithfully replicated by American artisans in Southern California.
“We start by sand casting molten aluminum in a local foundry, then sandblast and polish the two round plates,” said Nic Romano, founder of the Italian Cialde Wafer Iron. “We replicate the original 23-step handcrafted process which produces a very thin cracker about the size of a half dollar, matching the original Old World anise version”.
Optional savory recipes (e.g. Rosemary, Sea Salt, and Parmesan Cheese) are included on the website and are designed for snack, cheese, and charcuterie trays.
According to Romano, “We researched Italian historical archives for seven classic Italian designs which are now engraved on the new wafer iron. They include the keys of heaven, an olive branch, a sunflower, a wax seal, the letter V, a flower vase, and a fluer-de-lis, the symbol for the city of Florence”.
Personal customization of the iron with a family surname or a restaurant logo is also available, allowing professional and family chefs to serve their own branded wafer or cracker.
Joe Mantegna says, “One of the main ingredients that keeps families together is love of our Old World family recipes like these anise-flavored Cialde wafers. Growing up in Chicago, my mother made her own version of Cialde every holiday. Our passion for our family ancestry runs pretty deep so our OHV team created some very unique classic family heirlooms including our Cialde Wafer Iron. I’m excited about passing on our family traditions to our future generations. Buon appetito!”
Additionally, Romano is working on a Cialde Wafer Iron World Tour where two irons will depart southern California in 2017 with one traveling across America and the other to Japan, China, and other parts of Asia. The two will circumnavigate the globe, meeting up in Pistola, Italy in 2018. This year-long trek will allow chefs worldwide along the way to share their recipes and personal utilization of the Cialde wafer iron based on their indigenous ingredients and cultural culinary history.
There will be daily photo, recipe, and chef updates posted to the website by an accompanying chef/handler.
For more information, or to view the recipes that accompany the iron piece, visit: https://cialdewafer.com.
About Our Home Village
Our Home Village is the maker of the Italian Cialde Wafer Iron.
