The Italian Cookie That Turns Ground Beef Into Dessert

There are tons of different regional chocolates out there, but Modica, a small city in southeast Sicily, produces some of the world's most delicious chocolate. And Modica is also home to a unique chocolate-based food with an unusual ingredient: Ground beef. Called 'Mpanatigghi, this half-moon shaped cookie brings foodies and tourists to landmark bakeries in Modica like Anitca Dolceria Bonajuto or Caffe' Dell'Arte looking to taste this savory item. 

The cookies are basically folded dough filled with chocolate, spices like cinnamon, nuts such as almonds, and ground beef or veal that's been mixed with egg whites. If meat isn't your thing, some versions use eggplant instead, which are called liccumie. The Ruta family, who maintains Anitca Dolceria Bonajuto, told the New York Times that "Modican tradition views ['mpanatigghi] as a food rather than a candy." 

It might seen curious to serve meat with sweets, but 'Mpanatigghi is definitely not the only food that does this. Most notably, mince pie, which is a popular British food served during Christmas, is made with sugar, beef fat, candied fruits, and spices. And in Mexico, there is a dish called Turcos de Nuevo León, which is a sweet empanada filled with ground pork, raw cane sugar, and powdered clove. And don't forget Cuban pastelitos de carne. These beef pastries are coated in syrup to meld the sweet and savory. 

How did the 'Mpanatigghi come to be associated with one area in Sicily? Look to history and Sicily's reputation as an island that's been influenced by a myriad of cultures, including Greek, Spanish, Roman, the Arab nations, and more. One theory posits that during the 17th century, which was a time of Spanish influence in Modica, the Spanish empanada inspired the creation of this chocolate and meat cookie. 

Another theory has to do with Lent, and it's very clever. During Lent, meat is not allowed to be consumed for religious reasons. But, you could have chocolate. So, the theory goes, the nuns got a little sneaky and added some meat to the chocolate mixture to keep the priests lively so they could perform their ecclesiastical duties. The chocolate taste basically covered the meat and gave folks some extra nutrients during long days. Shhhh, it's a secret! 

And one last story has to do with simple preservation of food. Mixing meat with chocolate and cooking it would allow the meat to last longer. So by the logic of this theory, you could say these nuns were being both innovative cooks and expert food preservationists. Don't waste that meat — put it in a chocolate cookie! 

We all can't go to Modica to purchase 'Mpanatigghi from the source, but don't let that deter you from trying out this unusual food. There are a bunch of recipes out there, so give it a whirl. Probably the most important aspect of the recipe is the special chocolate from Modica, and luckily this is an imported good you can purchase at specialty stores, Eataly, and even on Amazon. When cooking with chocolate, it's important to inspect the chocolate for any whiteness as well as signs of crumbling — if you see these signs, it's possible the chocolate is not at its best and shouldn't be used. 

While recipes for 'Mpanatigghi vary slightly, the ingredients you need for the dough are pastry flour, white sugar, butter, and eggs. For the filling, you'll need ground veal, egg whites, raw minced almonds, chopped chocolate, white sugar, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Some recipes mix things up, calling for incorporating additional ingredients like Marsala wine or cloves and walnuts, so it all depends on your taste.