Panettone from Birth to the Table

January 18, 2023

Panettone from Birth to the Table

It's December, the Wham! song resounds through the streets (sabotaging your Whamageddon winnings), the shops are decorated, the squares lit up and you are looking for some presents.

December is a month that exudes warmth (despite the cold weather), familiarity and conviviality. December in Italy means dinners with relatives, mulled wine while window shopping (be careful exaggerating, you might see double), afternoons in front of the fireplace, but above all: PANETTONE.

Panettone is one of the typical Christmas sweets, but few people know its true history. In fact, the origins of this delicacy are lost in time and the birth of panettone is linked to numerous legends.

Preparazione del panettone artigianale

Pane dolce con uvetta

THE BIRTH OF PANETTONE ACCORDING TO LEGEND

The most famous legend claims that panettone was born at the court of Ludovico il Moro, Lord of Milan, back in the 15th century. It was Christmas Eve when, during a banquet, the official cook of the Sforza family inadvertently burnt a cake. To make up for it, Toni, the scullery boy who worked in the kitchen, decided to use a loaf of yeast that he had kept aside for Christmas. He processed it by adding flour, eggs, sultanas, candied fruit and sugar, obtaining a particularly leavened and soft dough. The cake was appreciated so much that the Sforza family decided to call it 'pan di Toni'.However, this is not the only legend linked to this Christmas cake, because according to other stories it was invented by Sister Ughetta or Ughetto degli Atellani. The only certainty is that panettone originated in the Middle Ages and is linked to the tradition, which was in force at the time, of preparing very rich loaves of bread at Christmas, which were served by the head of the family to diners.

Preparazione del panettone

THE BIRTH OF PANETTONE ACCORDING TO HISTORICAL SOURCES

1470: the first evidence of panettone. In a historical document, the 'rite of the log' is described: at Christmas, a large wooden log was put on the fire in every house and all the diners ate slices of wheat bread distributed by the head of the family, who kept one for the following year, as a good omen. That bread had, especially for the poor, a special value. In fact, bakers, except those who baked for the nobility, were forbidden to use wheat flour during the year as it was the prerogative of the rich.

1549: Cristoforo di Messisbugo, a cook from Ferrara, lists the ingredients of a Milanese cake - flour, butter, sugar, eggs, milk and rose water - adding that it must rise well and be round in shape.

1599: in the notes of a register of the Collegio Borromeo in Pavia concerning the expenses of the Christmas meal, there is mention of three pounds of butter, two pounds of sultanas and two ounces of spices that would be used to prepare '13 large loaves'.

1606: the first official definition of 'panaton', in the Milanese-Italian dictionary, is a large loaf prepared at Christmas.

1853: yeast is mentioned for the first time in the recipe for panettone, until then the cake had more the appearance of a focaccia.

1854: candied fruit is mentioned in the recipe for panettone and it begins to spread throughout northern Italy.

Panettone al Cioccolato

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT PANETTONE

The Classic Panettone has a few simple ingredients:

Water
Flour 0
Salt
Fresh eggs and/or pasteurised yolks
Milk
Butter
Sugar
Candied fruit (especially orange and citron)
Sultanas
Vanilla
Natural yeast

"De gustibus non est disputandum" so feel free to choose a chocolate or pistachio panettone instead of one with candied fruit (my personal favourite is an artisanal Rhum and Chocolate panettone).

If you book one of our villas we can deliver the best panettone cakes in the area!

What are you waiting for, there's still time!