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Giada De Laurentiis has become a trusted source for Italian food in the U.S. over the years, having released nine bestselling cookbooks, starred in multiple TV cooking shows, and opened numerous restaurants. The Rome-born chef is known for her love of authentic Italian cuisine and for sharing the traditions of her native country, and one of the treats she loves to champion is an item you might find in your local grocery store: Loacker Quadratini Wafers.
Loacker is a family-run company based at the foot of the Dolomite mountains in South Tyrol, Italy. The business was started back in 1925 by Alfons Loacker, who invented a new type of snack by filling thin, crispy wafers with cream. The cookies are recognizable all over the world today, with the U.S. being one of the company’s top markets.
De Laurentiis is certainly one of Loacker’s many customers. She told The Kitchn that she even brings the wafers in her carry-on bag when she’s travelling. Apparently, they don’t get crushed, but you might want to be a little cautious if you’re following suit! We don’t know if she picks them up in Italy when she visits, but we do know the first thing she eats when she arrives in Rome, and it’s not pasta.
The best Loacker wafers
De Laurentiis partnered with Loacker earlier this year to celebrate the company’s 100-year anniversary, calling the products a “beloved part” of her childhood in Italy, per a press release. Her mother used to bring back bags of the Quadratini Hazelnut cookies, and her grandmother was a fan too. “I grew up eating Loacker with my family … I can still remember tasting their light and crispy wafers in my childhood kitchen with my nonna,” she says on the Loacker website.
Her favorites are the Quadratini Hazelnut and the Quadratini Chocolate, which are bite-size wafer cookies filled with hazelnut cream and chocolate cream, respectively. They taste delicious paired with milk-based coffees, like a macchiato or homemade caffe latte, and they’re perfect for sharing or eating on the go (or on a plane). De Laurentiis also loves the Loacker Tortina Original Chocolate Coated Wafer, which consists of two wafers filled with hazelnut cream dipped in milk chocolate.
Loacker has a lot of other flavors available too, and you can buy miniature packets to sample them. Try crumbling up the wafers and using them to upgrade your ice cream sundae or add crunch to an easy lemon cake. Or make like De Laurentiis and just stuff them in your bag because you never know when you might crave an Italian treat.
Dining and Cooking