CURIOSITY

Who does not have an old recipe book or perhaps a notebook written by hand by our grandmothers who jealously guarded what today is aridly defined as “know-how” and which once consisted of knowing how to make traditional sweets and biscuits with skillful dexterity … As far as our specific field is concerned, it is true that each biscuit has its own history and its own why and if we browse the web we find that this is full of stories and anecdotes more or less documented or linked to legends and curiosities on the history of the various types of biscuits. Today I’d like to share and summarize with you some of these curiosities related to these inevitable protagonists with tea, breakfast or as a break. The most varied anecdotes link the origin of the biscuit already to ancient Greece, passing through the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages up to the nineteenth century when industrial production began its widespread diffusion thanks also to the classic teas of bourgeois saloons, where biscuits could not be missing. Among the “classic” products that have been successfully offered for generations we find the “Oswego“, a classic Anglo-Saxon biscuit that apparently owes its name (Oswego) to the city of the homonymous county in the State of New York at the mouth of the Oswego river, which in the ancient Iroquoian language (osh-we-geh) indicates a “place of pouring” (like a mouth). The analogy between biscuits and the mouth of the river would lie in the fact that a plant called Monarda Didyma grew in that area; such a plant was used by the Native Americans to obtain an infusion with a mint flavor. It is said that towards the end of the 1700s it was the natives who introduced this plant and its herbal tea to the settlers, which then began to be used as a substitute for traditional black tea, accompanied by biscuits that took the name of this herbal tea. Another example is the famous Oreo, whose name is the subject of various theories: it could derive from the French “or” (which would recall the original packaging in gilded paper); or from the Greek “oreos” (beautiful); or there would be an etymological reference to “oros” (mountains because originally these products had a pile of sugar on top, recalling the shape of a mountain); or they would refer to the syllables “RE” (in the word “cream”) enclosed between the two vowels “O” (of chocolate). As for the very popular “PETIT BEURRE”, attention must be paid to the true original version which would be made up of the 4 corners (the 4 seasons) with the 52 scalopped edges (52 weeks) and 24 holes (symbol of the 24 hours). And what about MARIE: a biscuit with a personal name! It seems to have been created in London by Peek Freans in 1874 to celebrate the marriage between the Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrova of Russia and the Duke of Edinburgh. The DIGESTIVE, on the other hand, apparently owes its name to two Scottish doctors who in 1839 created a product that could facilitate digestion with ingredients that, at least at the time, were considered helping in digestion. A curiosity about this biscuit: it seems that Prince William is so fond of it, so much so that his wedding cake would have been a variant of our Chocolate Salami with Digestives instead of the Saiwa petit biscuits. At the end of this short journey we remind the SPECULOOS whose name could be related to the Latin “speculum” or “mirror” (by virtue of the specularity of the process where the forming mould is “mirrored” with respect to the biscuit itself), or it could always be related to Latin but this time to the term “species” or spices.… And the stories could go on. One thing is certain: whatever your favorite biscuit is to taste, to propose or to produce at an industrial level, relying on the long experience of Errebi Technology is a guarantee of the success of the final product, from the most classic to the most innovative ones, passing through reinterpretations in terms of engravings, resizing and weights of the product!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

The end of 2022 is approaching and once again we are looking back on this year with mixed feelings. Covid restrictions continued to challenge us even if shiny and hopefully more optimistic than the last tw years. But during this year we have also been witness of another war, causing destruction, desperation, and serious damages to the world economy with continuous increase of costs of raw materials, more or less justified by the events.  We, as Errebi Technology Spa, have continued looking forward with optimism, trying to support our partners and friends with resilience, cooperation and support for which we can be proud. Also for this we want to say thanks to all our partners for continuing in trusting and believing in us, in our technology and in our esperience, in spite of the hard times for everybody. We are pleased to confirm our friends that in spite of all the troubles, the world of biscuits has grown with  new challenges, and we are confident that we with the new year we can continue to grow together as we have done in 2022. Thank you again for your support, for your positivity in what was another challenging year. We wish you all the very best for the the new year. Stay safe and well and I look forward to seeing you in 2023. Best wishes,

 

JINGLE BELLS JUNGLE BISCUITS

This distortion of the famous Christmas carol to remind once again the flexibility of Errebi Technology in offering you customized moulds based on your production needs. The ring construction allows extreme flexibility in terms of continuity of production, 100% reliable tests with the use of test rings, the possibility of interchanging the rings by diversifying the production of shapes according to seasonality. An example: a mould with interchangeable rings with “zoology” shapes. We can combine this with some extra rings with Christmas shapes, of course with the same dimensions and features as zoology products to ensure even baking. And by Christmas season we can continue our production of classical zoology with a Christmas note by simply replacing some of the zoology rings with Christmas rings, thus creating an assortment for the season: “jingle bells Jungle bells biscuits ….”! For more information dont hesitate to contact us.

TAILING EFFECT

 

As we have already mentioned on another occasion, the heart of the production process of a biscuit line is the mould, while the cavity is the heart of this mould. The long experience of Errebi Technology is not limited to a thoughtful choice of the most suitable materials for demoulding and for a lasting over time; this experience is also based on the skilful study of the section of the cavity with sophisticated details and profiles that can guarantee release, uniformity of thickness and, last but not least, avoid the so-called “tailing effect”, that is the phenomenon of distortion of the dough after the extraction, caused by high speeds, or by high abrasive doughs. This is the cause of major problems in terms of uncontrolled weights, low quality of the final product, and, it goes without saying, higher production costs. With a skilful study of the profile of the cavities, Errebi Technology guarantees products with well-sharpened and defined edges, a guarantee of the quality of the biscuits. In other words, relying on a partner such as Errebi Technology, a leader in the biscuit mould production for years, means a guarantee of capillary attention to the various details. For further information we are always ready to give you further information and assistance.

 

EXTRA SENSORY EXPERIENCE (SWEET-SALTY)

Opposites are often said to attract. In the culinary field, creativity often manages to give life to harmony with curious and unique recipes. But what today is defined as a refined exquisiteness is perhaps born of a poor reality in which families, especially farmers, had their breakfast by putting together what they had available such as bread, honey and cheese. This tendency to mix sweet / salty is also spreading in the field of biscuits, naturally always studying everything carefully and respecting a certain balance. The approximately 10,000 taste buds allow us to identify the 5 main basic tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, sour and unami. By a strange alchemy, sweet and salty that could not be combined magically work: if sweety or salty are are excessive, the combination of the two tastes works. One of the latest trends in terms of contrasts is represented by “pretzels” covered with chocolate and salt, an only apparent conflict of flavors. As Errebi Technology, we notice that this trend is increasingly affirming itself to possibly propose the same classic shapes that perhaps distinguish a particular brand, but with a new version that combines sweet ingredients with salty ingredients. From a technical point of view, the mould must be re-proportioned according to the new recipe which often requires an adjustment in terms of dimensions, with compensations that guarantee the same final product in terms of sizes. In fact, it is not uncommon for the same shape made with different recipes to have different sizes than the original after baking. Hence the importance of tests in production that can verify 100% dimensions, thicknesses and weights. And in this field, Errebi Technology has always been the first to offer a specific technology in the sector!

ERREBI TECHNOLOGY, NOT ONLY COOKIES…

Generally  Errebi Technology brand is associated with the production of cookie moulds. However, the range of our production also extends to other sectors of bakery products. But the most important thing is that the same high technology in the research of design and materials as well as the accuracy in the definition of the projects is also applied for the production of other types of moulds such as moulds for the production of ice cream biscuits, pizzas bases, pet-food products, donuts, tartlets / tarts… In previous posts we have exposed the type of ice cream moulds as well as those for pet-food. But er remind that even the typical frozen pizzas that most of us consume more or less regularly for the convenience and immediacy of a ready meal, are produced with Errebi Technology rotary cutters!  A careful study of shrinkage ans spread of the dough is essential to arrive at a final product corresponding to the required dimensions both in shape (roundness or other profiles) and dimensions (essential for filling and packaging). Without forgetting the issue of docker pins  that we take care in detail to arrive at a well-balanced surface of the final product even at the edge of the pizza itself. And the same accuracy and attention can be found in the production of moulds for tartlets / tarts. In this case it is a product whose criticality given by the different thickness levels could create many problems of release and / or breakage of the product itself. The long experience of Errebi Technology allows once again to arrive at a perfect production set-up with a wise calculation of release angles, inclinations and thicknesses to meet the needs of weights, fillings dosages without compromising the release performance of the product itself from the roller cavity. The famous “donuts” of which Donald Duck is so greedy of, that is, those donuts of American origin, have spread more and more in many Countries and are traditionally prepared as a snack available at stalls. But at the industrial product level, available in supermarkets, it has been translated into a production that is no longer manual but industrial with the use of Errebi Technology moulds. Here too it is essential to recreate the traditional appearance of the ring donuts, rather thick, and it is therefore important to study the release angle and depth of the cavity to ensure release and weight without the risk of deformation of the product. Of course, an industrial production of donuts or pizza simply simulates the original products. We Italians with a pizza-making tradition that is lost over the centuries and with a product like pizza, an intangible heritage of humanity, we know that industrial pizza will never be like the original one, but in an increasingly demanding market due to lack of time, industrial solutions become valid supports. And we, as Errebi Technology, are always at the forefront to support innovations, always with an eye to the past so as not to forget our origins, and to transmit and translate our traditions, values ​​and roots into the future as much as possible.

SNACKS

Salted biscuits or snacks are generally associated with a laminated process of hard doughs: dough sheet cut from a rotary cutter originating the most varied geometric shapes and more. However, even those who do not have a rotory cutting line can produce salted biscuits and snack, thanks to special rotary moulding rollers which, with some technical and technological adjustments give rise to products very similar to those made with rotary cutters. Once again the experience of Errebi Technology Spa proves to be able to produce a range of rollers for different types of products with specific technological devices. To find out more, we are available to discuss it and we invite you to contact us and visit our website www.errebi.net

A TASTE IS A SHAPE

If we enter a supermarket in the biscuit department we are overwhelmed by shelves full of packages of the most varied shapes: no longer a simple round or square or rectangular biscuit, no longer a simple piece of cooked dough, but increasingly risky profiles and various designs fill bags and packages of sweet products.

We as Errebi Technology notice two main currents towards which the new trends go.

On the one hand, the “restyling”: the trend towards the future but with an eye to the past, the desire to propose “classic” shapes that have made the history of a biscuit factory and which still constitute the element of immediate recognition of a product, are proposed with revisited dimensions. The idea is that of renewal, but at the base there is often a desire to reduce costs, an objective that can be achieved by reducing sizes (widths, lengths, thickness) while maintaining the same basic quality of the product. In this case, from a technical point of view, the role of Errebi Technology is to study the best proportion and ratio between size / thickness to achieve the required weight, without compromising the process and the stability / integrity of the product.

On the other hand, the search for innovative products, increasingly enriched with new inclusions or ingredients. In these cases, the shape often recalls the content: so here is the proposal of biscuits with shapes of seeds, tea leaves, fruits, vegetables, etc … From a psychological point of view, we always try to respect the “appetizing appeal”, in other words, always to respect the associations that the consumer makes between sensory experience and a specific product to avoid sensory dystonias. Therefore, the association of colors is also important; and if from ingredients point of view for a biscuit this may be limiting, packaging plays an important role in this. An example above all can be that of beetroot which contains more vitamin C than oranges and is rich in antioxidants. Its importance from a nutritional point of view makes it increasingly protagonist. We at Errebi Technology try to adjust profiles and details as much as possible so that the final biscuit reflects as faithfully as possible the main ingredient it wants to represent. The type of material chosen also becomes important to ensure long life to the mould and good release performance. In other words, pantographing details, tolerances, release angle are fundamental elements for our technical team.

 

CONCLUSIONS

They  say that it takes from 1 to 2 months to create a habit in our behavior. The period we leave behind has had an extraordinary impact on the way we live and relate, drastically changing even the most deeply rooted habits. We have definitely experienced months of challenges and changes on various levels (safety, health, sustainability, changes in our daily behaviors and attitudes as well as in our lifestyles). The online shopping experience that has grown exponentially (due to the characteristic of being safer from a health point of view) has however highlighted a recession in all sectors (from leisure time, to clothing, to education), except for the food sector. All of this is also found in our beloved world of biscuits: domestic consumption of baked goods such as crackers, snacks, biscuits; greater consumption of dietetic and / or health products with particular attention to the quantity with single portions, ideally 50gr / 8pcs, to keep fresh every time both at home and away from home (school, in the park); (lighter, thinner, with a more crunchy structure, vs the creamier stuffed products and therefore considered heavier from a dietary point of view): we recall the “thins” versions of many revisited products …, a sort compromise between staying fit and indulgence, considering that studies show an average weight gain of 5-6 kg per capita during the pandemic. Without forgetting the importance of packaging and the visual impact that combines dimensions, colors and images with evocations of the unique, natural and organic. And the trend towards organic and healthy was already growing before the pandemic. Covid-19 has only been a catalyst for the demand for organic and natural products to promote a stronger immune system. Packaging, as we have said, is important both for its visual impact (colors and images) but also for its quality since home deliveries have increased as well as online sales. Hence the concern to deliver an intact product. Attention to detail is also important, a small touch that can make the difference! Let’s remember how you eat with your eyes first! The increase in the consumption of biscuits was also favored by the lock down and consequent obligation to have breakfast at home. It is significant that there has also been a significant increase in the sale of coffee machines for domestic use! The approach between companies and customers has also undergone a great change. From telephone or email contacts with visits to the company crowned by international trade fairs, there has been an increase in virtual contacts via social media and the word “webinar” has now become part of our common language. Paradoxically, we are more in contact today through videoconferences and webinars than in the pre-Covid era thanks to the confidence and familiarity that we have all acquired with digital media. In short, another difficult period,  but we at Errebi Technology are always confident and with our gaze turned towards the future. And it is towards this better future that we also persuade our customers and friends to write many new projects together. We know that a new opportunity emerges from every crisis. And this is what we at Errebi Technology want to support with our partners. We also keep in touch on our website www.errebi.net with our posts on market news and trends in the “news” section!

Greetings to all, merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME AGAIN!

Errebi Technology is located in a small town in the Veneto region, near art cities such as Ferrara, Venice, Verona … Opposite our headquarters there is an industrial pastry shop that inebriates us with its aroma of “panettoni” and “colombe” (typical Italian Christmas and Easter cakes), long before the Christmas or Easter season begins. The aroma that is still entering the windows of our offices today reminds me of how we too as Errebi Technology,  with our customers, design molds in Christmas and / or Easter shapes, one year for the next. Every year we see an increase of biscuit factories starting the production of biscuits to celebrate the season, not only Christmas / Easter, but also linked to other events such as Halloween, or Mother’s Day, or S. Valentin. Obviously we are talking about limited productions, but which seem to find more and more success in sales in the period concerned. Our role as Errebi Technology is to suggest the best design in terms of shapes, something that can perfectly marry between innovation and tradition, between attention to detail on the same design and the solution for a perfect replease of the product from the roller.  In fact, we recall how the doughs used are special ones (“gingerbread” doughs mainly) requiring specific materials and design that only the long experience of Errebi Technology can offer.