A Saccottino In Rome Is The Delicious Breakfast You Need!

When planning your next trip to Rome, you should skip the cornetto for breakfast and enjoy a delicious saccottino to start your day on the right note.

When you are planning your meals for your next trip to Rome, you might not think that a lot of effort is needed when you are planning your upcoming breakfasts. That is understandable, because compared to an American breakfast or a Full Irish, there really isn’t much to consider.

Certainly a cappuccino is planned, but beyond that, what choices are there? We wrote about having a cornetto for breakfast, and that is certainly an option, but what else. When reviewing the various fillings for a cornetto, like marmelato, nutella and crema, you might prefer something else, and that is where the saccottino comes in.

I have loved the saccottino pastries ever since I was introduced to a french pain au chocolat years ago. Yes, you read that right, my favorite breakfast in Rome is a French pastry. I’ve been searching to find the Italian equivalent, but it seems like the French version is what is popular here in Rome, but you should use the Roman name: Saccottino.

Saccottino Pastry

The dough that I love that is used in the pastry is a laminated dough that gets its layers from alternating layers of dough and butter. Some people call this puff pastry, but the official name is: Viennoiserie. This type of dough is used in France and Italy to make a wide range, but similar, pastries. In addition to Saccottini, a.k.a. Pain au Chocolat, it is used with cornetti, croissants, Vienna Bread and others.

Are There Different Types Of Saccottini?

No, unlike a Cornetto, there aren’t typically different flavors or fillings in a Saccottino. These pastries are simply a rolled pastry filled with 2 batons of semi-sweet chocolate. There are no other fillings like with other Italian pastries, so you can be confident in what you are ordering.

Is A Saccottino The Same As A Pain Au Chocolat?

Sadly, yes. These are basically the same pastry. I’d love to say that, like the cornetto, there is an Italian version of the pastry and it is superior to the French version, but in this case they are the same. I’ve actually made these at home, which was a pretty difficult process for a home cook, and there are only 2 ingredients, the viennoiserie pastry and chocolate sticks (batons). There isn’t much room for variation.

There is one thing to be aware of, however. The name I’m using is the Roman version, Saccottino. If you travel around Italy, you will want to be sure to use the French pain au chocolat. However, be sure to say this french word with an Italian accent to stay in the good graces of the barista.

What Does Saccottino Mean In Italian?

Obviously, the name saccottino isn’t meant to be literally translated. Sacco translates to bag or sack. The suffix -ino or –tino makes it little, so the translation is: Little Sack. My guess is because it looks like a little purse or bag carrying some chocolate.

Saccottino vs. Cornetto, Which Is Better?

I love the saccottino and would order these 9 times out of 10. Chocolate is my favorite sweet and these pillowy treats start my day with a smile. To pump it up even a little bit more, there is a bar near our house that serves them warm if you are there at the tight time. There is literally nothing better than an oven fresh saccottino, in my humble opinion.

All that being said, there is that 1 out of 10 that I’m looking for a cornetto with the cream filling. I can’t really explain this inconsistency, but luckily in Italy I don’t have to. 

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