Milan wants to "brand" panettone Christmas cake
Tue Dec 14,11:22 AM ET
MILAN (Reuters) - Proud Milanese bakers and pastry chefs have taken a first step towards protecting the city's famous panettone Christmas cake from inferior copies, publishing their request for an official European "brand".
If Milan's bakers have their way, from next year the mushroom-shaped panettone cakes that fill the city's food shops could carry a multi-coloured logo and a certificate of authenticity -- the food equivalent of the DOC label for wines, and a guarantee of traditional baking methods.
"It is about quality and identity," said Carlo Sangalli, President of the Milan chamber of commerce. "Valuing a traditional product like the panettone means building a bridge between tradition and innovation," he said.
Panettone, a sponge-like cake often studded with raisins and candied fruit, is a Christmas treat across Italy, and Italians are expected to spend a total of 360 million euros (250 million pounds) on their seasonal treat this year alone.
There are many stories about the possible origin of the cake. One of the most often repeated tales holds that a nobleman disguised as a baker's assistant invented it to woo Algisa, the beautiful daughter of a Milan baker.
Others say Toni, a cook for Milanese nobleman Ludovico il Moro, invented it when ingredients for regular bread ran out, hence "pan di toni", or Toni's bread.
In reality, the cake probably evolved from the northern Italian tradition of sharing a large loaf of bread over Christmas. Panettone now has dozens of regional varieties, from Genoa's pan dolce to nut-filled, chocolate-topped panettone from the region of Abruzzi in southern Italy, and the golden pan d'oro of Venice.
If European officials agree to hand Milanese panettone the "protected designation of origin" accolade, it would join dozens of other Italian products, including Parma ham, Gorgonzola cheese and Sicilian red oranges. |
