Antonio Mattei Lieskovcové

V roku 1858, bolo Taliansko iba zemepisným výrazom, Toskánsko pod nadvládou Leopolda II. a zaneprázdnené prípravou na druhú vojnu s Rakúskom. A v tomto čase si v meste Prato na ulici Via Ricasoli 22, Antonio Mattei otvoril pekáreň a obchod, kde začal vyrábať podľa svojho vlastného receptu  suché, mandľové keksíky, ktoré sa stali pre toto mesto najtypickejšími a najtradičnejšími sušienkami.

V 19.storočí, Antonio Mattei, cukrár z Prata, vylepšil svoj klasický recept, za ktorý získal veľa ocenení nie len v Taliansku ale aj v zahraničí a špeciálne spomenutie na Medzinárodnej Expo v Paríži v roku 1867. Pekáreň "Mattonella" ako sa familiárne nazýva je dodnes otvorená na tej istej lokácii v meste Prato a je považovaná za akéhosi strážcu týchto tradičných sušienok.

Takto sa začal príbeh o silnej väzbe medzi továrňou na sušienky a mestom Prato, ktorý je ťažko pochopiteľný pre cudzincov. Už viac ako jeden a pol storočia nie je žiadna nedeľa ani sviatok v domoch obyvateľov Prata  bez modroobalového sáčku plného cantuccin alebo iných lahôdok, ktoré sú dodnes základom talianskej kultúry. V skutočnosti pekárenské výrobky Mattei skoro získali silnú reputáciu za hranicami mesta Prato a Toskánska: už v roku 1861 získal medailu za zásluhy v na Italy Exposition.

V roku 1908 bola prevádzka prevzatá Ernestom Pandolfinim, ktorý bol dlhodobým zamestnancom pekárne a pokračoval v nastavenom úsilí Antonia Mattei, taktiež v kreativite a kvalite. Ernesto vymslel nove produkty ako sú Filone Candito (rolka s kandizovaným ovocím), sušienky Brutti Buoni a sucháre Biscotti della Salute, ktoré sú teraz považované za signifikantné pre tento obchod a ktorých receptúry a postupy pečenia sa prísne dodržujú, ako tie pri výrobe originálnych Biscotti di Prato

In 1858, Italy was still a “mere geographical expression”, in the words pronounced thirty years earlier by Metternich. Tuscany was a grand duchy under the rule of Leopold II- for not much longer though- and was busy with preparations for the second war of independence against Austria. And in Prato, at Via Ricasoli 22, Antonio Mattei had just opened his biscuit factory and store and was making a dry almond biscuit, from a recipe of his own invention, which was bound to become Prato’s most typical and traditional biscuit.

“In the 19th century, Antonio Mattei, a pastry chef from Prato, perfected a recipe that became a classic and for which he won many awards in Italy and abroad and a special mention at the International Exposition of Paris in 1867. The “Mattonella” bakery , as it is commonly referred to, is still operating in Prato at the same location and is considered to be the guardian of the cantucci biscuit tradition.” 

That is how the story of the strong bond between the biscuit factory and the town of Prato, which is hardly understandable to outsiders, began. For over one century and a half, no Sunday or holiday has been complete in Pratese people’s houses without the blue-papered cantuccini or the other delicacies we make, which are, today, a mainstay of Italian culinary culture. In fact, Mattei’s bakery products soon gained a strong reputation beyond the borders of Prato and Tuscany: the medal for merit in 1861 at the Italian Exposition, the special mention at the Universal Exposition of Paris in 1867. In addition to Artusi, Prato’s biscuits count many illustrious fans: : Malaparte, Ardengo Soffici, Sem Benelli, Hermann Hesse and former  presidents Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and Bill Clinton.

In 1908, the business was taken over by Ernesto Pandofini, who had been working at the biscuit factory for a long time and went on pursuing the founder’s commitment to high quality and creativity. Ernesto created and developed new products, such as the Filone candito, Brutti Buoni, Biscotto della Salute, which are now thought of as the bakery’s signature products and whose recipes and cooking methods are as strictly followed as those used in the making of the Biscotto di Prato.