Panettone

Panettone

Type	Yeast cake [1]
Place of origin	Italy
Region or state	Milan, Lombardy
Main ingredients	Flour, candied fruits, raisins
Media: Panettone

Panettone ^[a] is an Italian sweet bread and fruitcake that is associated with the city of Milan. It is usually prepared for Christmas and New Year in Western, Southern, and Southeastern Europe, as well as in South America, Eritrea, ^[6] Australia, and North America. ^[7] Panettone is tall, with the appearance and texture of bread. ^[8] Despite such an appearance, panettone is understood in Italy to be a dessert; one that would be out of place in a bread bakery. ^[9]

History

Early

In Italy, historical accounts of panettone invariably state that it originated in Milan. The origin of the word is to be found in the Milanese panattón, augmentative of pan ('bread'), or panett ('small bread containing a large amount of yeast'). The augmentative suffix -one changes the meaning to 'large bread'. ^[10] Food historian Francine Segan describes the cake as "probably" created in the 15th century. ^[11] Despite panettone from Milan being the most popular variety across Italy, Italian author Ada Boni reported in her 1969 Italian Regional Cooking that claims of creation exist across northern Italy—in Venice and Turin with their panettone, and in Genoa with its Genoa cake, known in Italy as pandolce. ^[12] Popular tales abound describing panettone's creation. In the most famous, taking place in the 15th century, a wealthy Milanese noble sought to marry the daughter of Tony, a poor baker. To ingratiate himself, the noble furnished the girl's father with the ability to source the best quality flour, eggs, raisins, candied citrus, and sugar, leading to the development of a rich bread to great commercial success. This new food was named pan di Tonio, and the noble was given the hand of the baker's daughter in marriage. ^[13]

In another telling the roles are reversed, with a baker named Tony hoping to marry the daughter of a rich noble. Creating and serving panettone in an effort to impress, Tony was rewarded with the noble's approval and his own bakery. ^[14] Food scholar Cathy Kaufman identifies the popularity of this account in its proximity to analogies within Christian thought, that analogise romantic love and the love of Jesus Christ at Christmas. Another reason Kaufman supplies is the popularity of weddings during the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany in pre-industrial Europe, after the slaughter replenished food stocks. ^[15]

Panettone may be mentioned in a recipe book written by Italian Bartolomeo Scappi, a personal chef to popes and emperors during the early 16th century in the reign of Charles V. The oldest and most certain attestation of the panettone is found in a register of expenses of the Borromeo college of Pavia, Lombardy, in 1599: on 23 December of that year in the list of courses provided for Christmas lunch, costs also appear for 5 pounds of butter, 2 pounds of raisins and 3 ounces of spices given to the baker to make 13 "loaves" to be given to college students on Christmas Day. ^[16] The first recorded association of panettone with Christmas can be found in the Italian writings of the 18th century Enlightenment thinker Pietro Verri. He refers to it as pan de ton ('luxury bread'). ^[17]

The first printed recipe for panettone appears in the third edition of 1853's Nuovo cuoco economico milanese by Giovanni Felice Luraschi (pasta per far panatoni). ^[18] Panettone around this time was unaffordable to much of the Milanese. One such purchase of a small panettone and 200 grams of sugared almonds from a pastry shop is recorded in 1874, costing 2.35 lira (approximately € 9 in 2020). ^[19]

20th and 21st centuries

Homemade panettone

In the early 20th century, two Milanese bakers began to produce panettone in large quantities for the rest of Italy. In 1919, Angelo Motta started producing his eponymous brand of cakes. It was also Motta who gave the panettone its tall domed shape and light texture by letting the dough rise three times over almost 20 hours before cooking. The recipe was adapted shortly after by another baker, Gioacchino Alemagna, around 1925, who gave his name to a brand that still exists today.^{[ citation needed ]} The stiff competition between the two that then ensued led to industrial production of the cake. ^[20]

During the 1970s panettone entered the cuisine of southern Italy at a time when a singular, national Italian cuisine emerged. Advertisements on television promoted panettone in the new markets, arguing its industrial production ensured hygiene and quality. ^[21]

Nestlé took over the Motta and Alemagna brands in the late 1990s, but Bauli, ^[22] an Italian bakery company based in Verona, has since acquired Motta and Alemagna from Nestlé. ^{[20] [23]} Although panettone remained associated with holidays, by this point it was eaten throughout the year in Italy. ^{[13] [24]} By the 2010s, panettone produced by artisans or flavored with local ingredients held in higher regard in southern Italy over those produced industrially. One such variation in Campania was a panettone flavored with limoncello. ^[21]

Outside of Italy

Panettone is widely available in South America, including in Argentina, Brazil, Chile (e.g. pan de Pascua ), Peru, Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Ecuador. It is known in Spanish as panetón or pan dulce, and as panetone in Brazilian Portuguese. Peru's Antonio D'Onofrio, son of immigrants hailing from Caserta, Italy, spawned his own brand using a modified form of the Alemagna formula (e.g., candied papaya is used instead of candied citron and lemon, as these fruits are not available in Peru), which he licensed along with the packaging style. This brand is now also owned by Nestlé and exported throughout South America. Panettone is popular within Italian communities in the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK.^{[ citation needed ]} Peru is the world's biggest consumer of panettone, surpassing Italy, with the average person eating 2.4 lb (1.1 kg) of panettone each year. ^[25]

In North America in the 21st century, some bakeries and cookbooks moved to a panettone made from wild yeast rather than commercial yeast, following a major bakery in Italy that had gained commercial success with wild yeasts. ^[14] In the UK, panettone is sometimes used to make bread and butter pudding. ^[26]

As of 2007, efforts were underway to obtain protected designation of origin (PDO) and denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) status for panettone. ^[27]

Ingredients

Panettone is made from a flour milled from hard wheat. ^[28] Raisins and pieces of candied orange and citron are distributed throughout, ^[13] sometimes substituted or supplemented with almonds, chocolate, and other dried fruits such as apricots and apples. Sometimes, liquors and alcohol-based citrus or almond extracts are added for further flavour. ^{[29] [30] [24]} Yeast may be commercial or wild, the latter producing a panettone with a longer shelf life. ^[30] Panettone prepared from a commercial yeast, typically Kazachstania exigua , contains several lactic acid bacteria. ^{[31] [b]}

Preparation

The basic dough for panettone is very close to several other European holiday breads, including the German stollen, the Greek tsoureki and christopsomo , and the Italian colomba pasquale and pandoro  –distinctions arise from their symbolism, shaping, and history. ^{[33] [34] [35]} Panettone has high levels of fat and requires intensive mixing. ^[36]

Panettone is shaped on a surface that is sometimes buttered and then baked in a tall, cylindrical mold. Atypically for a sweetened dough containing yeast, panettone is not steamed during cooking. ^{[29] [37]} Baking paper designed specially for panettones is sold commercially. ^[30] After baking, panettone is hung upside down as it cools, preventing the bubbles in the dough from collapsing. In a commercial bakery this may be done with special equipment, and in smaller batches they may be hung between tables, suspended with wooden skewers. ^[30]

Panettone has a cupola shape, which extends from a cylindrical base and is usually about 12–15 centimetres (4+1⁄2–6 inches) high for a panettone weighing one kilogram (two pounds). Other bases may be used, such as an octagon, or a frustum with a star section shape more common to pandoro. It is made during a long process that involves curing the dough, which is acidic, similar to sourdough. The proofing process alone takes several days, giving the cake its distinctive fluffy characteristics. Variations include plain or with chocolate.

Serving

It is served in wedge shapes, vertically cut, accompanied with sweet hot beverages or a sweet wine, such as Asti or Moscato d'Asti. In some regions of Italy, it is served with crema al mascarpone, a cream made by combining eggs, mascarpone, and a sweet liqueur.

Panettone is cooked in a range of sizes, from individually portioned cakes, up to large cakes that are cut at service. ^[38] Among the Milanese, panettone is eaten with various courses, including breakfast, afternoon tea, and dinner. Alongside, the Italian dessert wine Vin Santo or a sweet white wine are often drunk. ^[24] Panettone is sometimes served in its baking paper, which often features decorative designs. ^[30]

Industrial panettone

Most panettone eaten in Italy is sourced from industrial producers, shrink-wrapped and distributed in cardboard boxes. ^[39] As of 2007, Italian food manufacturing companies and bakeries produced 117 million panettone and pandoro cakes each Christmas, collectively worth €579 million. ^[40] As of 2011, Bauli dominated the panettone market after its acquisition of its two largest competitors two years prior. ^[23]

Prices for panettone varied starkly by source. In 2011, a panettone purchased from an Italian supermarket could cost less than € 10 (US$13.92), compared to the few produced by artisans which often could cost € 50. Outside of supermarkets, industrially-produced panettone are sold in some bakeries. ^[41]

See also

• Italy portal
• Food portal

• List of Italian desserts and pastries
• Panone

Notes

1. /ˌpænɪˈtoʊni/ PAN-ih-TOH-nee; ^{[2] [3] [4]} Italian: [panetˈtoːne] ; Milanese: panetton [paneˈtũː] . ^[5]
2. These include Fructilactobacillus sanfranciscensis , L. brevis , and L. plantarum . ^[32]

References

1. Davidson 2014, p.  590.
2. "panettone". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins.
3. "panettone". Oxford English Dictionary . Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2013-08-02.
4. "panettone". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary . Merriam-Webster.
5. Cherubini, Francesco (1841). Vocabolario milanese-italiano (in Italian and Lombard). Vol. 3. p. 164.
6. "Christmas in Eritrea".
7. "Negli Usa tutti pazzi per il panettone, è boom vendite". Ansa (in Italian). 4 December 2017.
8. Levene 2016, p.  49.
9. Krondl 2011, p. 121.
10. "Learn Languages with LearnWithOliver.com". www.learnwitholiver.com. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
11. Segan 2015, p. 367.
12. Boni 1969, p.  52.
13. Orsini 2007, p.  90.
14. Reinhart 2016, p. 295.
15. Kaufman 2015, p. 163.
16. "Spigolature d'Archivio – dicembre 1599: panettone per gli Alunni". Collegio Borromeo (in Italian). Retrieved 17 August 2022.
17. Dolce Jasmine (2017-11-18). "Panettone: What you should know (ingredients, calories and origin)". YouTube . Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
18. "New Milanese chef" (PDF).
19. Maffi 2019, p. 160.
20. Shaun Weston (1 August 2009). "News | Bauli acquires Motta and Alemagna from Nestlé". FoodBev.com. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
21. Pignataro 2016, pp. 9–10.
22. Saatchi. "Bauli: pandoro, panettone, colomba, dolci a lievitazione naturale, merende, cioccolato". Bauli.it. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
23. Krondl 2011, pp. 164–165.
24. Del Conte 2006, pp.  438–439.
25. Montesinos, Edwin (19 December 2023). "Perú es el mayor consumidor de panetón del mundo, venciendo a Italia y Brasil: los retos que enfrenta el 2023". Infobae. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
26. Paston-Williams 2012, p.  36.
27. "EU agricultural product quality policy". Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
28. Leader & Chattman 2019, p. 59.
29. Rinsky & Rinsky 2009, p. 202.
30. Reinhart 2016, pp. 295–296.
31. Maltz 1992, p. 62.
32. Maltz 1992, p. 62, 405.
33. Reinhart 2016, p. 363.
34. Whitley 2009, p.  259.
35. Reinhart 2015, p. 73.
36. Suas 2009, p. 310.
37. Suas 2009, p. 324.
38. Davidson 2014, p. 590.
39. Krondl 2011, p. 164.
40. Pomeroy, Robin (12 December 2007). "Panettone makers want to keep Christmas cake Italian". Reuters. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
41. Krondl 2011, p. 165.

Sources

• Boni, Ada (1969) [1969 in Italian]. Italian Regional Cooking. Translated by Langdale, Maria; Whyte, Ursula. New York: Bonanza Books. ISBN   0-517-023857.
• Davidson, Alan (2014). The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-199-67733-7.
• Del Conte, Anna (2006). Amaretto, Apple Cake and Artichokes: The Best of Anna Del Conte. London: Vintage Books. ISBN   978-0-099-49416-4.
• Goldstein, Darra, ed. (2015). The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets . Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-931339-6.
  • Kaufman, Cathy K. "Christmas". In Goldstein (2015).
  • Reinhart, Peter. "Breads, sweet". In Goldstein (2015).
  • Segan, Francine. "Italy". In Goldstein (2015).
• Krondl, Michael (2011). Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert. Chicago Review Press. ISBN   978-1-55652-954-2.
• Leader, Daniel; Chattman, Lauren (2019). Living Bread: Tradition and Innovation in Artisan Bread Making. New York: Avery Publishing. ISBN   978-0-735-21383-8.
• Levene, Alysa (2016). Cake: The Short, Surprising History of Our Favourite Bakes. London: Headline. ISBN   978-1-4722-2684-6.
• Maffi, Luciano (2019). "The Traveling Priest: Food for the Spirit and Food for the Body". In Bianquis, Isabelle; Williot, Jean-Pierre (eds.). Nomadic Food: Anthropological and Historical Studies around the World. Lanham, Maryland & London: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   978-1-5381-1599-2.
• Maltz, Samuel A (1992). Bakery Technology And Engineering (3rd ed.). Springer. ISBN   978-0-442-30855-1.
• Orsini, Joseph (2007). Italian Baking Secrets. New York: Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN   978-0-312-35820-4.
• Paston-Williams, Sara (2012) [1983 as The National Trust Book of Traditional Puddings]. Good Old-Fashioned Puddings. London: National Trust. ISBN   978-1-907-89234-9.
• Pignataro, Luciano (2016). I Dolci Napoletani in 300 Ricette[Neapolitan Desserts in 300 Recipes] (in Italian). Rome: Newton Compton Editori. ISBN   978-8-854-18850-1.
• Reinhart, Peter (2016) [2001]. The Bread Baker's Apprentice (15th Anniversary ed.). Berkley, California: Ten Speed Press. ISBN   978-1-607-74865-6.
• Rinsky, Glenn; Rinsky, Laura Halpin (2009). The Pastry Chef's Companion. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN   978-0-470-00955-0.
• Suas, Michel (2009). Advanced Bread and Pastry: A Professional Approach. Clifton Park, New York: Delamar Cengage Group. ISBN   978-1-4180-1169-7.
• Whitley, Andrew (2009) [2006]. Bread Matters: The State of Modern Bread and a Definitive Guide to Baking Your Own. London: Fourth Estate. ISBN   978-0-00-729849-5.

Further reading

• Lo Russo, Giuseppe (2004). Dolce Natale (in Italian). Fratelli Alinari. ISBN   8872924731.
• Porzio, Stanislao (2007). Il panettone. Storia, leggende, segreti e fortune di un protagonista del Natale (in Italian). Datanova. ISBN   9788895092317.

External links

• Panettone World Champioship