Dry, tasteless? Sorry, Italy, this Christmas dish is just not that good

The dish

Panettone, Italy

Plate up

A taste of Christmas? Or dry and tasteless?Credit: iStock

Friends, gather round, and bring it in tight. We’re going to say some things here, and our Italian amici may not be all that happy about them. Because we’re here to talk about one of the world’s most famous Christmas culinary traditions, a foodstuff that has travelled far and wide, and which hails from one of the finest gastronomic destinations on the planet.

It’s panettone, the fruity, flavourful loaf that has become a Christmas tradition in Italy, and something you will find now in much of Europe, North America, South America, and of course Australia. This sweetened, cylindrical bread loaf is made using a sourdough starter, mixed with candied orange and lemon, raisins, and sometimes even chocolate.

Here’s the thing we need to mention though: imported Italian panettone is, ah, just not really all that good, is it? Kind of dry? Oddly tasteless? Or is it just us?

First serve

Though the Milanese claim panettone as their own invention, there are records of a similarly sweetened, leavened bread being consumed back in Roman times. By the 18th century this bread – called panettone as that’s the larger form of panetto, a loaf of bread – was associated with Christmas, as recorded in the writings of historian Pietro Verri. Panettone’s popularity exploded in the 1920s, when two competing Milanese bakers began mass-producing cylindrical loaves and selling them at Christmas. A bakery in Verona now owns the rights to produce under those two original names, Motta and Alemagna.

Order there

In Milan there are artisanal bakers making the best iteration of panettone you’re likely to encounter. Probably the most famous is Pasticceria Cucchi, founded in 1936 (pasticceriacucchi.it).

Order here

In Sydney, grab a panettone from Haberfield favourite San Valentino Pasticceria (sanvalentinapasticceria.com.au). In Melbourne, All Are Welcome (all-are-welcome.com) takes its panettone very seriously. And in Brisbane, try Gerbino’s (gerbinos.com.au).

One more thing

A dish this widely cherished of course has a more apocryphal backstory. Some say panettone was actually invented in the 1400s by Toni, a cook in the Duke of Milan’s court, who saved the day with his sourdough starter when the Duke’s original dessert was burned. His dish was known as “pan de Toni”. Uh huh.