Cavallucci are an Italian Christmas pastry made with anise, walnuts, candied fruits, coriander, and flour.

[1] The chewy pastries are similar to a cookie or biscuit and traditionally use Tuscan millefiori honey as an essential ingredient in the dough.

The pastries were originally imprinted with the image of a horse (cavalli is the Italian term for 'horses').

According to the most popular version of the story, cavallucci were served to travelers on horseback as a source of nourishment for long trips.

[3] Another speculation is that postal workers who delivered mail over long distances ate the pastries on a regular basis.