Panforte
Panforte is a sweet pastry from Italy . It is a specialty of the Tuscan city of Siena and its immediate surroundings ( Province of Siena and also Massa Marittima ). Panforte is primarily a traditional Christmas cookie . Today it is also eaten outside of the Christmas period as a dessert with Vin Santo or espresso.
In contrast to the widespread in northern Italy Torrone Panforte is quite soft; It differs from gingerbread in that the ingredients are only roughly chopped and baked without leavening agents .
Ingredients and preparation
Traditional panforte is made from almonds , flour , dried and candied fruits ( lemon peel , orange peel ), honey , sugar and spices such as coriander , nutmeg , cloves and cinnamon . The ingredients are mixed into a dough and then baked on round wafers . The panforte is dusted with powdered sugar and has to be steeped for a long time. It can be kept for several months.
In Siena it is said that the panforte should consist of 17 ingredients, the number of contrades , i.e. H. the districts of Siena or their representatives at the Palio .
variants
- Panforte bianco - this classic Panforte is also called Panforte Margherita , after Queen Margherita of Savoy , who attended the Palio of Siena in 1879 .
- Panforte nero tastes stronger than Panforte bianco. It contains a higher proportion of dark-colored spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg and can also be colored with caramel . Panforte nero is made with candied melon, cocoa and peperoncino .
- Panforte from Massa Marittima is similar to Panforte Margherita.
- Panpepato Ternano is the name of a variant from Terni . These pastries are darker and contain pine nuts , more cocoa and pepper.
- Pampepato di Ferrara is a protected designation of origin for a similar pastry from Ferrara .
Today, a wide variety of variations of the classic recipes are offered, such as B. Panforte with chocolate coating, with chestnut flour , raisins or walnuts .
history
The panforte is related to medieval recipes such as gingerbread and gingerbread. Even the Romans knew a simple honey cake , which they called panis mellitus . Similar cakes as melatello , panmielato or panmelato have been passed down from Italy in the Middle Ages . It was a nutritious food for the winter; a kind of fruit bread made from flour, water, garden fruits (figs, apples, grapes) and nuts.
The current name arose because the baked goods often became sour through a fermentation process - in this case forte does not mean strong, but rather sour in a secondary meaning of the word. Honey improved the taste and shelf life. The recipe was later refined in the monasteries with exotic spices that came to Italy from the Orient after the time of the Crusades, with Siena being an important trading center for spices. The first written testimony dates from 1205 from the Abbey of Montecelso.
Today Panforte is produced industrially (well-known brands are e.g. Parenti , Pepi , Sapori and Nannini ), but also handcrafted by many small companies. For Panforte with the Protected Designation of Origin (PGI, Protected Geographical Indication ) Panforte di Siena , the permitted ingredients and production are strictly defined.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Marten Rolff: A matter of taste: Panforte di Siena . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung of November 13, 2015
- ↑ a b DISCIPLINARE DI PRODUZIONE Panforte di Siena
- ↑ Storia dei panpepati o pampepati
- ↑ Storia pampepato di Ferrara IGP
- ↑ Agricultural and Rural Development. Retrieved January 5, 2019 .