Do you shout or just think, “Me want cookie!” when you pass a bakery or stroll down the cookie aisle?
We’re all secret cookie monsters. And it’s been going on for over 1,400 years.
According to Wikipedia, “cookies appear to have their origins in seventh century AD Persia, shortly after the use of sugar became relatively common in the region.” It probably began when bakers needed to test the temperature in their ovens – without thermostats and electricity. They dropped small, round “test” cakes to make sure the oven was hot. These “test cakes” were the first cookies – and people loved them.
The Muslims brought their “cookies” along when they conquered Spain in the 700s.
Italians argue that the pizzelle was first, in the 800s, at south-central Abruzzo. The legend says that the village was overrun with snakes. A Benedictine monk, Dan Domenico, got rid of the snakes and they celebrated with pizzelles. They were made by pressing the dough into an iron that stamped patterns like a family crest, snowflake, or decorative design. (see below).
