Celebrate! - Fun Food Facts

Amaretto Day

Amaretto in Italian means "a little bitter" and is made from bitter almonds or apricot kernels or both. The nuts are infused in pure alcohol or brandy resulting in a strong almond flavor. This traditionally Italian liqueur is fragrant with legend.

Taking us back to 1525 Renaissance in Saronno, Italy, painter Bernardino Luini selected a young innkeeper as his model for a fresco of the Madonna of the Miracles. In gratitude for being selected the innkeeper gave the artist a gift of her own secret blend of almond and brandy.

It's not until centuries later that well-guarded recipe was produced on a larger scale in Saronno, Italy. At the turn of the 20th century, Disaronno began producing their amaretto for a broad market. It began appearing for sale in advertisements in the United States in the late 1940s. The family still bottles their recipe today.

Another Amaretto tale comes from the same area of Italy but is of a young Lazzaroni couple blessed by the Cardinal of Milan in 1718. The couple honored his visit with a special recipe of their own, producing an amaretto cookie like no other. This one came in a bottle. Their recipe was also a closely guarded family secret for generations. The Lazzaroni family began selling their amaretto liqueur in 1851, and it is still being produced today.