The history of pandoro and panettone, the two kings of an Italian Christmas

The history of Pandoro began in the city of Verona, birthplace of pastry chef Domenico Melegatti, who was the first to patent this soft, eight-pointed star-shaped Christmas dessert in 1884 with the Ministry of Agriculture and Trade of the Kingdom of Italy.  The inspiration for this delicacy, which would soon become a true Christmas staple in Italy, came from a traditional Veronese dessert called Levà, prepared in the city on Christmas Eve.

However, the origins of Pandoro is not so certain. It shares several similarities with Nadalin, a star-shaped dessert popular in the Veneto region in the 1200s, as well as with Pane di Vienna. The name, however, can be attributed to pan de oro, which became popular around 1500 in the Republic of Venice. It was a conical dessert covered with thin gold leaf.

At Christmas in Italy, it is impossible not to find pandoro on every table, but not everyone knows that, to best enjoy its delicate flavour, it should be slightly warmed before serving. A few seconds in the oven or a few minutes in front of the lit fireplace are enough to melt the sugar coating the dessert.

An interesting fact about the history of Pandoro is linked to Melegatti's patent, who decided to make use of the talent of the impressionist painter Angelo Dall'Oca Bianca. The traditional eight-pointed star shape of this dessert, which has become a symbol of Christmas in Italy, comes from a design by the Veronese artist, registered by Melegatti together with the recipe.

The history of panettone is a blend of tradition and legend, but there is little doubt that it originated in northern Italy, more specifically in Milan. We know that until 1400, wheat was considered a very valuable raw material of a premium quality. As it was more expensive, it was only available to a small section of the population, except during the Christmas period when the city's bakeries were allowed to use it to make bread.
The origin of panettone is also linked to the medieval tradition of celebrating Christmas with the family by placing three wheat loaves on the table to be shared among all the diners and keeping a slice, a sign of continuity, until the following year.

However, the recipe we know today was only perfected at the end of the 1800s, when Milanese pastry chef Giovanni Felice Luraschi decided to add yeast to make a taller, fluffier cake, which was then enriched with candied fruit or raisins.

The etymology of panettone has its roots in the Milanese dialect and in the term "pan de ton", used to refer to a luxury cake, a bread enriched with precious ingredients such as honey and raisins. For centuries, however, the legend of panettone has been linked to the figure of Ludovico il Moro, lord of Milan in the late 1400s, and the young Toni, court baker or kitchen boy, depending on the story.

Either by mistake or as a result of an oversight, Toni burned the dessert intended for the Sforza family on Christmas Eve dinner and had to improvise by mixing butter with flour, eggs, raisins, candied fruit and sugar. The result pleased the Sforza family so much that Ludovico il Moro decided to rename the improvised dessert "pan di Toni" in honour of its creator.  Romantic, but not necessarily true.

Pandoro and panettone are similar in that they appear in shops and on tables throughout Italy at Christmas time, but also in that they are anything but quick and easy to make. The recipes for pandoro and panettone have some ingredients in common, such as sourdough, eggs and butter, but that is where the similarities end.

The main difference between pandoro and panettone lies in their shape, with the former being an eight-pointed star and the latter a cylinder with a domed top, and in their contents: pandoro is presented simply, covered with a sprinkling of icing sugar, while panettone is enriched with candied fruit and raisins depending on the recipe, but also with chocolate chips in the more modern versions.

The panettone dough has a denser consistency than the lighter, more airy pandoro dough. The difference in composition also results in a distinction in the aroma that these two desserts release when cut. In fact, panettone produces an aroma enhanced by the sweet and sour notes of candied fruit and raisins, while pandoro exudes a sweet scent of butter and vanilla.

So how do you choose between these two sweet festive delicacies? Certainly not based on calories. Whether you are team pandoro or team panettone, be guided only by your taste buds: put your favourite dessert on the table, cut a slice for yourself and your loved ones, and savour the pleasure of Christmas together.