Italian Food Recipes

Today I want to tell you the story about the birth of Panettone. In particular there are 3 famous legend that narrate its birth: the first one is a love legend: in the XV century at the court of Ludovico il Moro there is Ugo, falconer of the duke, who loves the studies and solitude but in particular he falls in love with Adalgisa the beautiful daughter of the baker. Unfortunately the Ugo family’s impeded their love, so Ugo and Adalgisa can meet only by night when Adalgisa worked at the baker’s shop of her father Toni. However one day happens that a new baker’s shop opens near the baker’s shop of Adalgisa father’s, this provokes the loss of customers besides the baker’s boy becomes ill and so Adalgisa must work much more. In this situation Ugo has a wonderful idea: he hires himself out as new baker’s boy. Therefore he thinks to improve the bread adding to the normal dough some butter. But there is a problem: there isn’t enough money to buy it, so Ugo decides to sell its two hawks in order to obtain the money to buy the butter. Immediately the bread becomes better so Ugo decides to add also some sugar to its own recipe. The customers begin to love much more the new recipe of Ugo bread’s and this makes happier Adalgisa. Then Ugo thinks to add to the bread recipe pieces of candied citron and eggs, this improves much more the taste of the bread and finally in occasion of the Christmas Day Ugo adds also some raisins: in this way the bread recipe becomes so popular that in every baker’s shop this yummy recipe diffuses and Ugo and Adalgisa get married. The recipe of bread becomes famous with the name of Panettone that comes from “pangrande” (big bread) or “ Pan del Toni” (bread of Toni).
The second legend tells that the inventor of Panettone is a Nun called Ughetta, who invents the recipe of sweet bread in order to satisfy the gluttony of her monks during the Christmas Day. In particular Nun Ughetta makes a cross on the surface of the bread, so during the cooking the surface right by the cross opens and make the typical relieves that are also today on Panettone.
The third legend tells that at the court of Ludovico il Moro in occasion of Christmas Eve a splendid lunch is organized. For this occasion the cook prepares a special dessert that unfortunately burns: this is a tragedy for the cook but Toni, who is the kitchen porter of the cook, has an idea. He preserved a small quantity of the dough of the dessert for himself and he added to it eggs, sugar, butter, candied citron and raisins, so he decided to give this sweet dough to the cook. The cook prepares the new dessert on a golden platter and served it. All the people liked the dessert who becomes famous as “ pan del Toni” or Panettone.
Panettone is the traditional dessert of Milan always present on the Italian table during the Christmas period, it is the most famous Christmas sweet diffused in all Italy and in all the world where every people loves its sweetness and excellent taste. Panettone is the symbol of Milan and traditionally people changes Panettone as gift with their parents and friends the Christmas Day. Panettone is a sort of bread with a cupola and cylindrical shape high 30 cm, it is obtain with a dough composed of flour, eggs, sugar, butter, candied orange, candied citron and raisins. Its preparation is long and a bit difficult but the result is exquisite. In the Italian cooking traditionally at the end of the Christmas menu Eve and Day Panettone is served as dessert accompanied with sweet white wine like Sparkling or Muscat, but it is ideal also for breakfast with hot milk or with hot coffee and chocolate.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!