Please Don't Eat the Decorations!
After reading yesterday's post about panforte, my friend Terry, who spends most of her time in Modena, told me she had to add her "two cents" regarding Italian holiday breads.
The two most popular at Christmastime are panettone and pandoro. Panettone is a specialty of Milan, a sweet bread typically made with candied fruit, while pandoro, also a holiday bread but the sweeter of the two, originated in Verona and is dusted with powdered sugar just before serving to look like a snowy mountaintop. You can find countless variations of these traditional breads all over Italy (and in the U.S. too), but the best are usually made by small local bakers. Some are glazed, some are covered in chocolate, and some are decorated in very elaborate ways. Our friend Rita shares a locally made, chocolate-covered panettone with us every year, which is to die for!
People also do creative things with store-bought panettone and pandoro, including using them as decorations. Last year, my sister-in-law Lily hollowed out mini panettone, filled each with a different presepe or nativity scene, and put one at each place setting for Christmas dinner. Note the shepherd standing on the top!
If you have a tasty holiday tradition from another country or culture, I welcome your "two cents".
--Tracy Schneider
Primary Work at Home on December 18, 2009 at 05:20 AM
Wow very creative. I like this one.