Historical hints: It's impossible to establish an exact time for each speciality, but there are some meaningful hints about the Cremonese excellent cuisine as listed below: The Mostarda of Cremona ( fruit pickles ) is mentioned for the first time by Lucio Giunio Columella ( 1st century A.C. ) in "De Rustica". After a millenium more or less, it is mentioned again in the collection, the first all over the world, of gastronomic recipes entitled "De honesta voluptate et valetudine", written in 1475 by the Cremonese Bartolomeo Sacchi called "Il Platina" (1421-1481). In the edition of 1780 issued first in France and then in Italy with the title "Il cuoco reale e il contadino" (=The royal cook and the peasant) there is the introduction of the Cremonese Mostarda at the royal court by Caterina de' Medici, wife since 1533 of Henry 2nd of Valois, the future king of France. The Cremonese Nougat is more or less contemporary, because it is mentioned by many ancient writers reporting the descriptions of Roman time banquets where there are shown excellent sweets made with almonds, honey and albumen. But its official birth goes back to October 25th 1441, when it was presented on the occasion of the wedding between Bianca Maria Visconti (the daughter of Filippo Maria, Duke of Milan) and the condottiere Francesco Sforza. The sweet was served in the shape of the highest tower of the town, then called Torrione (later called Torrazzo), from which the name Torrone. The territory : Cremona is settled in the fertile and industrious plain on the left side of the river Po. It was founded by the Roman legionaries over 2.200 years ago as the first fortified outpost in the Gallic territory to the north of the Po. Since then that "castrum" developped increasingly always maintaining a strong link with its big river and the countryside around. During the centuries, also thanks to its geographic position, Cremona became the compulsory passage of the traders from and to northern Europe. This fact enabled the diffusion first in Roman then in Medieval times of the local specialities : both sweet products such as Torrone of Cremona (= Nuogat), cakes and gastronomic products such as Mostarda of Cremona and jams. The Trademark: "ANTICA BOTTEGA di STRADA SOLFERINO" (Ancient Shop in Solferino Street) since 1836 It is born in our ancient shop in Cremona under the Reign of Veneto and Lombardy in the street "Beccherie Vecchie", called later "Via Solferino", after the Italian unity, in memory of our Risorgimento (the battle of Solferino). It was a workshop famous for the quality of its products and the characteristics of its proposals. Our historic brand became popular meaning the certainty of exellent products and flavours to be looked for and discovered.