Rainbow Cookie
Alternative namesRainbow cake, Neapolitan cookies, seven layer cookies, Venetian cookies, seven layer cake, Italian flag cookies, tricolor cookies, tricolore
TypeCake
Place of originItalian Americans
Region or stateNew York City
Main ingredientsSponge cake (flour, almond paste, butter, sugar, almond extract, egg yolks, egg whites), apricot or raspberry jam, chocolate
Rainbow cookies

Rainbow cookie or rainbow cake usually refers to a three-layered almond-flavored Italian-American cookie, but can also refer to any of a number of rainbow-colored confections.[1][2]

Composition

Rainbow cookies are typically composed of layers of brightly colored, almond-based sponge cake (usually almond paste/marzipan), apricot and/or raspberry jam, and a chocolate coating.[3] Commonly referred to as a "cookie," their composition is closer in many ways to a layered cake or petit four. The original rainbow cookie featured layers with colors representing the Italian flag: white, red and green.[4] However, there may be variations in the color of the rainbow cookie's layers, whether for particular holidays, or other events.

History and origins

Rainbow cookies were first introduced by Italian-American bakeries in the late 19th or early 20th Century, and have since spread to other Italian-American and mainstream bakeries.[5] Rainbow cookies are particularly popular at Christmas.[4]

Though many Italian confections have an almond paste or almond flour base, rainbow cookies are a decidedly Italian-American creation. [6] While there is no direct analogue to rainbow cookies in Italy, Italian food historian Mary Taylor Simeti speculates that the Italian-American rainbow cookie is based on the tri-colored gelato di campagna, a nougat with the same colored layers.[7]

Popularity in the Jewish community

Rainbow cookies are popular in the American Jewish community, and are commonly associated with American Jewish cuisine and can be found at many Jewish delis, kosher eateries, and Jewish bakeries[8] throughout the United States, especially in the Northeastern United States. As Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe settled in New York City en masse at the turn of the 20th century, they often settled in areas that also had an Italian population. It was at this point that Jewish Americans were introduced to the rainbow cookie.

They are a common kiddush cookie served on Shabbat morning and at synagogues across the country.[9] There are also versions of rainbow cookies made for Passover, which are made with matzo meal or almond flour (due to the prohibition of leavening during this holiday).[10]

Jewish Americans adapted this cookie to suit their own Kosher dietary needs, substituting margarine for the butter originally used (making them pareve). Jewish Americans have been credited as being the first to change the original Italian flag design to the more commonly found rainbow design seen today, starting with the changing of the white layer of the cookie to yellow.[11][12] Other color variations may include blue and white, instead of the traditional rainbow, to celebrate Hanukkah.[12]

Other names

Although often called simply rainbow cookies in much of the continental United States, some local names for this specific variety are:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Pretty Rainbow Cookie Favors – The Sweet Adventures of Sugar Belle". Sweetsugarbelle.com. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  2. ↑ "Oreo shows gay pride with a rainbow cookie". Articles.baltimoresun.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-02. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  3. ↑ Yard, Sherry, and Martha Rose Shulman. Desserts by the Yard: From Brooklyn to Beverly Hills : Recipes from the Sweetest Life Ever. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. pg.15
  4. 1 2 ""Rainbow Cookies"". Lidia.com. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  5. ↑ ""Get to Know the Rainbow Cookie, an Italian Delicacy That's Tough to Find in D.C"". Eater. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  6. ↑ ""A Closer Look at Your Italian Bakery's Cookie Case"". Serious Eats. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  7. ↑ ""The rainbow (cookie) connection "". The Sentinel. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  8. ↑ "Rainbow Cookies". The Jewish Kitchen. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  9. ↑ "How to make Rainbow Cookies". My Jewish Learning. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  10. ↑ "Passover Rainbow Cookie Recipe". My Jewish Learning. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  11. ↑ Ginsberg, Stanley; Norman Berg (2011). Inside The Jewish Bakery. Camino Books. ISBN 978-1933822235.
  12. 1 2 "Just Deli Desserts". Moment Magazine. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  13. ↑ "Cooking Forum New Message: Message 227: Re: napoleon italian cookies-I HAVE IT!!!". 19 October 2004. Archived from the original on 19 October 2004. Retrieved 23 January 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  14. 1 2 Chowhound (21 February 2007). "Multi-colored cookies: Do they have a name? - General Discussion - Cookies". Chowhound.chow.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  15. 1 2 "A guide to Rainbow Cookies". www.decheung.com. November 21, 2006. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  16. ↑ "Seven-Layer Cookies". Epicurious.com. 1 December 2005. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  17. ↑ "CakeSpy: Batter Chatter: Interview with Matt and Renato of Baked, Brooklyn NY". Archived from the original on 2009-04-25. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
  18. ↑ "Venetian Cookies". Goodhousekeeping.com. 25 June 2007. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
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