WHEN THE BREAD RISES HIGH, THE LEGEND IS BORN

Panettone, traditionally linked to the Christmas holidays, is one of the most loved iconic Italian desserts in the world.

In Italy, during the cold winter evenings and the joyful period of the Christmas holidays, nothing is more representative and symbolic of the national tradition than a slice of fragrant panettone. It’s often shared with loved ones and accompanied by a flute of sparkling wine. Amid the bickering between supporters of the classic candied fruit recipe and those who prefer unconventional, more whimsical fillings, his Majesty the Panettone, still holds as iconic confection, loved and appreciated all over the world. The city of Milan is Panettone’s birthplace and has given it the De.co label (municipal designation). Since its origins have faded so far into the past, fairytale like lore, intertwined with actual events in the city of Milan have blurred the lines of Panettone’s true beginning. There are three legends acknowledge most. One claims the invention of the famous cake is by a lover motivated to help his beloved who is hard at work in her father’s bakery. Another, perhaps the most famous, sees the first panettone appear at the court of Ludovico Maria Sforza, Il Moro, duke of Milan (1480-1499). And the third story tells of young nuns in a convent where one is determined to celebrate Christmas with an incredible sweet bread. According to the first story, the maker of the panettone was a nobleman called Ughetto, son of Giacomo Atellani (whose residence was a gift from the Moro and located near the church of the Graces). The young man was in love with Adalgisa, the daughter of a neighboring baker. The Atellani did not approve of the union, because of the girl’s lowly origins and because her father had also come upon hard times. Ughetto disguised as a peasant boy and hired by the baker perfected the bakers’ bread by adding butter and sugar. It was a success. Later, during a second preparation, pieces of candied citrus and eggs were added. The new recipe quickly won everyone over. People from the neighborhood lined up at the oven door to buy the cake up. It goes without saying that the two lovers finally married and lived happily ever after.

The most popular legend of the “Pan de ‘Toni”, is linked to the Duke of Milan, Ludovico il Moro. The court chef was in charge of creating a lavish Christmas feast. Many notables of the time had been invited, but the dessert, forgotten in the oven,

The city of Milan is its birthplace, and given it the De.co label (municipal designation). Panettone’s origins have faded so far into the past and fairytale like lore

ended up charred. The kitchen boy Toni, looking to help out the desperate cook, decided to make a cake with forward-thinking ingredients for the time: butter, eggs, citron peel and raisins. The cook put his faith in the boy’s instinct and it turned out well. Ludovico and his guests fell in love with the delightfully sweet cake. When asked what the name of it was, the chef candidly called it “Il ‘pan del Toni”. The third tale tells of a convent of young nuns facing the prospect of a gloomy and miserable Christmas. One enterprising nun, Sister Ughetta (Ughetto and Ughetta, not by chance, are names linked to the word that in the Milanese dialect means raisins, or “ughett”), decided to add sugar, eggs, butter and pieces of citrus peel to the common bread recipe. Before baking she took a knife and cut a cross shape on its top that once cooked, the crust open up like a cupola. This is still done on the more traditional panettone. Given the importance of panettone in the social and cultural history of the Belpaese, it is of little importance whether these anecdotes really happened. The three stories, in fact, date back to the period between the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and were invented specifically to confer major “nobilitate” and pride for Milanese gastronomy.

Of course, panettone evolved from the medieval custom of celebrating Christmas with a richer bread than the daily. A few years later, a late fifteenth century manuscript written by Giorgio Valagussa, a Sforza tutor, testified to the ducal custom to celebrate the famous ritual so-called “rito del ciocco”: On the evening of Christmas Eve, a large log was placed on the hearth and on the table three large loaves of wheat were served. Wheat was considered a luxury for the time. The head of the family offered a slice to all the guests, keeping one for the following year, as a sign of stability. Another historical piece of evidence to the origin of panettone was that up until 1395 all the Milanese bakers could only bake wheat bread at Christmas time. The bread was given to the most loyal customers, thus its name pan de ‘sciori, or pan de ton, the bread of the rich. The wheat bread also contained butter, sugar and raisins. So, from the beginning, Panettone is undoubtedly a great bread, but today it is no longer just that. At a certain point in its history, the cake has evolved into a symbol and crystallized into myth. One of the architects of the modern panettone was unquestionably Paolo Biffi, who in 1847 prepared a huge cake for Pius IX, and sent it in a special carriage. Even many historical figures, from Manzoni to the Austrian prince Metternich,

His Majesty, the Panettone has for centuries held the scepter of iconic sweet. Loved and appreciated all over the world, it represents the synthesis of a sumptuous and important gastronomic and cultural heritage.

have been conquered by the majestic taste of panettone. The fate of this dessert was forever changed by Angelo Motta. In the 1920s, perhaps inspired by work on two hundred kulichs, an Orthodox Easter bread, ordered by the Russian community in Milan, Motta supplemented the fat in his panettone and decided to bind it with straw paper to make it grow vertically. The famous fungiform style is established, and became the trademark when production to the retail trade on a large-scale started. Panettone was originally prepared like a loaf of bread without a band, then a short baking paper surrounded it chiefly to keep the fatty dough upright. The paper stayed, a must in Milanese patisseries and currently the two formats coexist and are equally representative of the traditional dessert. Panettone is a treasure chest that contains a legacy not only of taste and flavor, but also of culture and tradition, conveying the most authentic and powerful essence of Italian identity. A gift that Italy has given the world, to celebrate the goodness and joy of living.