Tradition of panettone at Christmas: history and origins of the famous dessert
Panettone is an Italian dessert originally from Milan called panetton and pronounced panetũ in dialect. This dessert is typical of Christmas and New Year's in Western and Southern Europe but is famous all over the world.
How is panettone made?
The panettone has its characteristic dome shape and a cylindrical base about 15 to 25 cm high. Other bases can be used, such as an octagon or the more classic star shape, in the last case it is called pandoro.
The classic panettone contains citron, lemon zest, candied orange and raisins. Many other variations are available such as plain or with chocolate. It is served in wedge shapes, cut vertically, accompanied by sweet hot drinks or sweet sparkling wine, such as Asti or Moscato d'Asti. In some regions of Italy, it is served with mascarpone cream, this cream is cooked with classic ingredients such as mascarpone, eggs, sometimes dried or candied fruit, it is accompanied by a sweet liqueur such as amaretto; if mascarpone is not available, zabaglione is used as a substitute.
History and origins of homemade panettone
At the beginning of the 20th century, two enterprising bakers from Milan began producing panettone in large quantities in the rest of Italy. In 1919, Angelo Motta began to market the production of his namesake brand of sweets.
The recipe was adapted shortly after by another baker, Gioacchino Alemagna, around 1925, who also gave his name to a popular brand that still exists today. The stiff competition between the two that followed, led to the industrial production of the cake. Nestlé took over both brands in the late 1990s, but Bauli, an Italian bakery company based in Verona, subsequently acquired Motta and Alemagna from Nestlé.
In Italy, panettone has an often varied history, but which invariably states that its birthplace was Milan. The origins of this cake appear to be very ancient, dating back to the Roman Empire, when the ancient Romans sweetened a type of leavened cake with honey.
It's the pan de Toni! The legend of the evolution of the term panettone
A legend tells of a story that takes place in the 15th century when Ludovico il Moro was the Duke of Milan. One evening, the Duke's cook was asked to prepare a delicious banquet for a number of nobles. The cook prepared the feast successfully, however he forgot the cake in the oven, which burned. The assistant cook, a certain Tony, advised the chef to use a dessert that he had prepared for himself that morning. The cake had been made with flour, butter, eggs, lime zest and raisins. The cooks waited impatiently for the outcome and noted with amazement the satisfaction and appreciation of the diners.
To the cook's relief, everyone loved the pie. The duke enjoyed the dessert so much that he asked for his name, the cook replied “L’ è‘ l pan de Toni!”, Which means “Toni's bread”. The name then evolved into Panettone.
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