When I walked into a local bar (cafe) last week, I was struck by the tables, shelves & even space above the commercial refrigerators that were suddenly packed with festive, holiday-looking parcels. It took me a second to realize what these were & why they'd recently appeared...
In Italy, as Christmas rolls around, we see a lot of the same changes you likely see in your own town -- pretty lights adorning homes, shops & downtown streets; stunning, towering, festively-trimmed trees; holidays tunes gently playing in the background at many retailers; faux-frost and cheerful snowmen outlining windows. One thing that's remarkably different, however, is the sudden mass influx of Panettoni. It's flooding shelves at every grocery store & corner market, it's enveloping you at every bar/cafe, it's even sold through schools as a seasonal fundraiser. And everybody brags about "their team" -- aka the curator they so prefer who crafts "the best!!" Panettoni.
Last year, all I could think was WHY?! do these folks get so jazzed about a dry, stale, semi-flavorless cake that's littered with (dry, stale) fruit? It made no sense. Then, we received a Pandoro as a gift from our landlady & soon, I knew why. This wasn't, of course, an immediate lesson learned as I think we let that top hat box sit atop our refrigerator for nearly 2 weeks, but in a moment of sweetness craving desperation, we finally opened it up.
Much like everything else that's cooked, fried, sauteed, steamed or baked here, Panettoni is Italian exquisiteness. We dipped our fork into this light, buttery, ultra-tall, bright yellow cake that was adorned with a simple blanket of white, powdered sugar. I awaited the dreaded fruit nuggets, but was delightfully surprised to find none. I soon learned that Pandoro is a recipe similar to Panettone but... senza (without) frutta! In doing a smidge of research about my new-found, favorite holiday treat, I found out that Pandoro is shaped like an 8-point star and originated in Verona. I also learned that you can get "classico" versions of both torte (cakes) & there's also a variety with cioccolato (chocolate) -- a must-try this year! There are even wild cards varieties like Limoncello, pistacchio & pear/chocolate. Conversely, traditional Panettone is cylindrical & originated in Milan.
Perhaps best of all? It's recommended that a slice of either is accompanied by a sweet wine such as Moscato d'Asti or even a digestivo like Amaretto (my favorite!).
This certainly isn't your Grandmother's fruit cake.
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My mom would always toast it and spread salted butter on top- so good!!!!
I LOVE good panettone!!! Thanks for the recommendation! I love all your photos of the decorations there! Beautiful! One of my best memories of my time in Vienna was during Christmas. The decorations, lights, Christmas markets, snow. It was magical! Enjoy your own magical time in Italy!