The ubiquity of biscotti has caused irreparable harm to the related but distinct cookie known as mandel bread (or mandel broit). Both are fashioned into long "loaves" containing sliced almonds (German, Yiddish Mandel = almond), which are sliced and then toasted to provide the distinctive shape both cookies share, but the similarities do not extend further.
Biscotti are very dry and hard, designed to be consumed with coffee. Dunking into coffee to soften biscotti is a quite common and, one might say, is part of the purpose of the cookie. The dough traditionally contains no shortening. Ground anise seed has also been used to flavor the dough.
Mandel bread, on the other hand, is made with a short dough that gives the cookie a crumbly texture. Mandel bread is not toasted nearly as long as biscotti, either; just enough to dry off the cookie and give a slight browning. Traditional flavoring could be either lemon (through adding lemon rind and juice) or cinnamon. And mandel bread is designed to be consumed with tea, and is not to be dunked. (The cookie will dissolve.)
Mandel bread has been and remains primarily a home-baked product, but with the rise in availability and popularity of factory-made biscotti in the last quarter of the 20th century, mandel bread recipes have noticeably changed to conform to characteristics of the better-known biscotti. The amount of shortening has dropped to create a drier cookie, and new flavors have been introduced (for example, vanilla bean, or chocolate chip).
I'm a bit of a purist, and the recipe we use has been in the family for generations. Guests, however, sometimes express surprise when mandel bread doesn't conform to their notions of biscotti.