I decided a little more research was necessary on Wandi. My Google search, it turns out, yielded very little in the way of information, but I did learn that Wandi is an Americanized Italian form of the word Guanti (there is no “w” in the Italian language), which translates to gloves. According to this helpful description/recipe, the cookies were popular at celebrations, from marriages to random festivals. Indeed, another search uncovered this article, about 100 dozen (that’s right 100 dozen) Wandi being made as part of a Sicilian festival in Iowa (if for nothing else, check out the article for the photo).
That, believe it or not, was nearly the extent of what I managed to dig up on these elusive cookies. I did find this: scroll about halfway down and there is a rather poignant (and coincidental) note from a granddaughter who cannot get the recipe from her grandmother, who happens to have Alzheimer’s. The answer here, however, is that the cookies are something altogether different, called Farfallette, though also referred to as Lovers’ Knots and “Bow Ties” and the recipe is relatively similar.
A hunt for Farfallette then unearthed the tradition of St. Joseph’s Table, the same St. Joseph’s Day (March 19, the feast of St. Joseph. In America it’s overshadowed by the beloved patron saint of green beer, but Sicilians feast and recreate the Holy Family) tradition described in the above Iowa article, meaning that bow ties or Farfatelle or Wandi or gloves or whatever else is all one in the same. And, it seems it’s a tradition that needs to little umph from the next generation. And so, in that spirit, The Russo Wandi recipe, as passed down from my father, and from his mother:
Bow Cookies
1-1/2 Cups sifted flour
1-1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tblsp sugar
3 tblsp Crisco
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 Cup powdered sugar
Oil for deep frying
Sift flour, salt, baking powder and sugar into a bowl. Cut in Crisco until well blended. Stir in eggs and mix thoroughly. Knead on floured board until pliable. Let dough rest for at least one hour.
Divide dough and roll out to an 8×10 rectangle, 1/8″ thick. Cut into strips, 8″ long x 3/4″ wide. Tie into loose knots and drop into hot oil until golden brown.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Then sprinkle with powdered sugar. (This last, incidentally, was always my favorite part, perhaps because Grandma Russo never re-sprinkled.)
***I add, at this time, that while this blog is usually about the ties of females, and while this recipe was handed down from my grandmother, the bulk of my nostalgia for it should be credited to my father, who spent countless patient hours teaching me this and other recipes. And who never once refolded my bow ties.
These aren't Wandi, but another Italian cookie, so the sentiment is there...
Suz,I loved your latest blogs.It sure brings back memories of good & treasured times.
Love you,Dad
I have to disagree with your thoughts that the “farfallette” are the same as the Wandi. My family makes a cookie that we refer to as wandi, however, my mother spells it wane. I’m not sure exactly why though. However, the “bow tie” cookies that you refer to seem more like the what my Grandma calls “biscotti” but the recipe from her is cuccidati. From the cookies that I’ve gotten at italian pastry shops they are closer to the cuccidati than biscotti except that they have no filling. I’m off track though. My point is that the wandi are a deep friep lemon cookie and I have yet to come across a cookie or recipe that resembles them either on the internet or in various pastry shops.
Thanks for the comment William. I by no means claim to be an expert on Wandi, or any other Italian cookie for that matter. All the information in my posts about Wandi come from what little there is on the internet and what I learned from my grandmother, who, unfortunately, is no longer around to enlighten me any further. I will say that I have seen recipes for Wandi that include lemon, and also those that, like my recipe, do not. I imagine that it varies by region and that all these names and recipes changed even further as our ancestors moved to the U.S. As for cuccidati, the quick search I did for them turned up a fig-stuffed cookie, which is not the wandi I know. Your comment definitely underlines my whole reason for blogging about Wandi in the first place: that it’s a shame that these traditions have gotten so confusing for us later generations. Thanks again for sharing your family’s traditions.
I completely agree with you. It seems like the names of these cookies has changed so much from passing them down over the years that its hard to actually figure out what it what. For example what my family calls cuccidati or biscotti is just the pastry part of the fig cookies that you mention. We do actually have fig filled cuccidati that we call orcuccidati. I was just under the impression that the “or” at the beginning signified that they were filled with fig. Not to mention I was in the North End of Boston not too long ago and bought some raspberry filled cuccidati. Its interesting to see all of the different views on what form these cookies have taken from different Italian families.