SWEETS

Do you know everything about the panettone? Some curiosities about this Christmas cake

Il panettone is in the Italian tradition the typical Christmas dessert. The panettone can contain raisins and candied fruit and can be classic or stuffed with creams of various flavors.

Browse the photo gallery to discover many curiosities about this typical dessert of the Italian tradition

This dessert was born in Milan, but is widespread throughout Italy. If everyone knows the taste of this dessert, however, not everyone perhaps knows its origin or some traditions linked to it. In this photo gallery we have collected some curiosities about panettone that we found interesting.

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Some curiosities about panettone, a typical Christmas dessert
The panettone is in the Italian tradition the typical Christmas dessert. The panettone can contain raisins and candied fruit and can be classic or stuffed with creams of various flavors. This dessert was born in Milan, but is widespread throughout Italy. If everyone knows the taste of this dessert, however, not everyone perhaps knows its origin or some traditions linked to it. In this photo gallery we have collected some curiosities about the panettone that we found interesting.
Freepik
The origins of the panettone
The panettone has very ancient origins: the first evidence of the existence of this dessert dates back to 1599, when the "Christmas Bread" was described in the register of expenses of the Collegio Borromeo of Pavia . This dessert is the ancestor of the modern panettone, which was served during Christmas lunch to the students guests of the structure.
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Sweet recovery? Error in the kitchen?
There is no certainty about this fact, but according to legend the panettone could date back to the time of Ludovico Il Moro. The panettone may have been born to remedy a mistake in the kitchen: a cook had in fact been commissioned to prepare Christmas lunch, but something went wrong. The cake was forgotten in the oven and charred, but it was essential to find a solution to bring a dessert to the table. So intervened a sculleryman, called "Toni", who used butter, candied fruit and leftover dough to repair the damage done. Against all expectations, the dessert was very popular with the diners, to the point of being called by the name of its creator: "Pan del Toni".
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How do you eat panettone?
With regard to the way in which the panettoneis to be consumed, a distinction must be made. According to the rules of tradition, panettone should be consumed with the hands, while for etiquette it is not. According to etiquette, in fact, the panettone should be cut into slices and the slice served spread on a plate with the cream at its side. Along with the plate should also be brought cutlery, a fork and a dessert spoon. The fork is used for the panettone, the spoon instead to collect the cream.
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The shape of the panettone
The classic cylindrical shape of the panettone dates back to 1920. This shape was given by Angelo Motta, who, to avoid burning the cake and to make it softer, used a cardboard sheath to wrap it.
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Panettone in February?
According to the rules of a typical Milanese tradition, you have to keep a few slices of panettone until February 3rd, the day dedicated to San Biagio. Consuming the panettone on this day of the Saint's feast serves as a propitiatory gesture to ward off colds and sore throats. Why San Biagio? Because the Saint is the protector of the throat.
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