|
|
 |
The history and legends of panettone
|
| Traditionally made with raisins and candied citron or with a rich cream filling, the Italian Christmas panettone (a light, fluffy cake) may be tall or short, covered with chocolate or flavored with various liquors, but it's always a symbol of this joyous season. There are many fascinating legends regarding its origins; the only undeniable fact is that it was definitely created in Milan, in the central-northern region of Lombardy. |
|
|
|
|
From time immemorial, panettone, with its hallmark domed shape, has graced Christmas tables in Milan, pretty much as we find it today, since at least the fifteenth century.
The historian Ludovico Antonio Muratori, who lived from 1672 to 1750, attributed the origins of this cake to a much earlier period, contending that it probably developed out of an old pagan custom documented in Lombardy as far back as the early eleventh century.
Once the Christmas dinner had been served, the head of the family would pour a little wine from his own glass over the burning Yule log, along with a small bundle of juniper branches and berries. He would then break the big cake, but not before carving a cross onto its surface. A piece of the cake was then distributed to every member of the family. A small portion of this cake was then put away until the following Christmas. Specially prepared for the occasion with great care, the Christmas cake also served as a token of family bonds. Over the years it became the custom to prepare the Christmas cake exclusively with white wheat flour, an ingredient that underscored its importance. The Christmas cake thus came to be referred to as pan del ton (or luxurious cake), which evolved into the current panettone.
|
|
|
|
The ancient customs associated with panettone have spawned a rich body of legends, including the one according to which the name, panettone, came from pane di Toni (the bread of Toni), i.e. from the name of a kitchen boy who allegedly invented it while serving at the court of Duke Ludovico il Moro. This charming legend has it that during the course of a big Christmas banquette held by the Duke, the court cook burned the planned dessert. The day was saved, however, by the enterprising kitchen boy, Toni, who had prepared a sweet loaf of bread with butter, candied fruit and leftover dough. This improvised cake was such a hit with his guests that the Duke asked what it was called and when Toni replied that he hadn't yet thought of a name, the Duke proclaimed that henceforth it would be called pan del Toni.
According to a different version of the story, the Toni character - although still serving at the court of the powerful Ludovico Sforza, known as "il Moro" - was a baker and the proud father of the beautiful Adalgisa, with whom a knight, Ughetto degli Antellari, had fallen madly in love. In order to win the heart of his beloved, Ughetto pretended to be a baker's apprentice and, once he had wheedled his way into Toni's kitchen, he prepared a special dessert that he presented to the fair Adalgisa. His unconventionally gallant efforts were crowned with success and the resourceful Ughetto was duly rewarded with the fair damsel's hand in marriage, a union that received the enthusiastic endorsement and blessings of no less personages than Ludovico il Moro and his wife, Beatrice.
|
|
|
|
Of all the legends that have sprung up to explain the origins of panettone, one of the most intriguing and fairy-tale like is the delightful tale that attributes the invention of this delicious cake to the youthful Ughetta, a nun living in a very poor convent. In order to celebrate Christmas together with the other sisters, Ughetta enhanced the usual bread dough with a little sugar, butter, candied fruit and raisins (in Milanese dialect the word for raisin happens to be ughetta), carefully making the sign of the cross with a knife on the top of the cake, by way of blessing it.
Whatever its origins may have been, by the fifteenth century panettone was beginning to be an increasingly common feature of the Christmas table, first in Lombardy and then, gradually, throughout the rest of Italy, eventually becoming the Christmas dessert par excellence.
Panettone is even featured in that famous work describing the art of cooking written in 1570 by Bartolomeo Scappi, the personal cook to Pope Pius V. Panettone's inexorable assent in terms of prestige and national popularity continued in the eighteenth century, when Pietro Verri, a staunch advocate of the Enlightenment movement, sang its praises with scientific enthusiasm. In 1839, the Milanese Italian Dictionary by Cherubini listed it as Panatton or Panatton de Natal: "A kind of wheat bread enhanced with butter, egg, sugar and dried grapes (ughett) or sultanas and almonds, which are added when it is a dough. When baked it is distinguished by a crust boasting a spiked surface. Being large and weighing one pound or more, it is generally only made for Christmas. A similar dough, however, is prepared and baked in small loafs by bakers throughout the year and this is called Panattonin..."
In 1847, Paolo Biffi prepared a panettone of record dimensions for Pope Pius IX; it was so big it had to be delivered in a special coach. By the twentieth century Italy had begun exporting its beloved panettone, marking the beginning of a remarkable success story that is still continuing to this very day. It was also in the twentieth century that panettone assumed the characteristic tall shape by which we know it today, thanks to the ingenuity of Angelo Motta, who was the first person to put a tall cylinder of thin paper in the baking tin, forcing the dough to expand vertically rather than spilling over the side. And this brings us up to the present day. In order to safeguard tradition and ensure that panettone is made in the time-honored, non-industrial manner, efforts are currently underway to establish guidelines in terms of ingredients and procedures that will serve as the basis for obtaining a special DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) panettone certification from the European Union: one more recognition for a speciality whose name has always been intimately associated with the celebration of Christmas.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A LONG PREPARATION PROCESS |
|
|
Long and complicated, the traditional preparation process involved in making true panettone is still lovingly practiced in many, non-industrial kitchens like a sacred ritual. The first step is the preparation of the mother, the natural leavening made with a mixture of yeast, water and flour that is left uncovered in the kitchen for a long period of time, up to 36 hours.
In order to ensure the right consistency and tenderness of the finished cake, it is crucial that the mother comes out perfectly and the long process in which the mother acquires its characteristics must be carefully overseen by the pastry chef. While it is aging the mother is topped off about every four hours, i.e. additional water and flour are added to reinforce the strength of the leavening agent. Next, the ingredients of the initial dough are added: flour, egg, sugar, top-quality butter and water. The resulting dough is left to rise again, and then the candied fruit and raisins are added.
At this point the pan del ton is placed into baking tins and a cross is cut into the top of each one. The baking is done in huge ovens that have been specially designed for this purpose. The panettone is allowed to cool for fully 12 hours and then left to rest for another 10 hours before it is considered ready to be eaten. The traditional recipe for panettone calls for using nothing but white wheat flour, sugar, top-quality butter, eggs and sultana raisins; the version from the northwestern region of Piedmont also includes tender, round hazelnuts from the Langhe area, which are used for the icing.
|
|
|
|
|
