Grissini are the thin bread sticks you see on every North Italian table before dinner. These, made by a bakery in the town of Asti, are crisp and crumbly and absolutely grand when served plain.  But that's not what we're doing here.

I'd rather you consider them, instead, covered in semi-sweet chocolate. Each bread stick is more than eight inches long and, thanks to the sweet jacket, built for coveting. Imagine a really substantial, supremely delicious version of Japanese pocky. I found myself nibbling away like a chipmunk who'd hit the jackpot.