There's Food in My Story - Panettone
by Lady Scholastica Joycors
The origin of Panettone is somewhat of a mystery. There are at least three theories about how this fruity bread came about, but one thing’s for sure, it is seen as a Northern Italian invention from 15th century Milan where it was considered a luxurious dessert as it was made with wheat flour, an expensive product when at the time most breads were made out of cheaper grains like rye or spelt. The story goes that a nobleman and falcon trainer named Ughetto degli Atellani, fell in love with Adalgisa, the daughter of the towns baker whose buisness had hit upon hard times. Ughetto’s family was unhappy with his choice and forbade him to marry such a lowly girl. In a bid to continue seeing his lover, Ughetto in disguise took a job at the bakery where one day after selling some of his falcons, he purchased butter and sugar and added it to the bakery’s bread mix. Ughetto’s sweet bread became popular and the ailing bakery soon began to see better times, which pleased Adalgisa. As often happens, love kindles his wits and one day near Christmas, he added candied peel and raisins to the mix and the popularity of his bread surpassed everything the bakery had ever produced. The success was almost overnight, and patrons stood in line to take the bread home. With the bread being famous and the bakery no longer in financial distress. The family sees that Ughetto's love is genuine and they finally and give their permission for the couple to marry.
Another theory is set in the 15th-century court of Duke Ludovico il Moro. For a Christmas celebration, the head chef was expected to bake a dessert, worthy enough to impress the noble guests. However, the chef accidentally burnt the cake and immediately ends up in a state of panic. But then, the scullery boy named ‘Toni’ approached the chef and explained that he’d made a sweet loaf out of leftovers and offered this bread to the chef. As the chef had no choice but to oblige, he agreed with the plan and served the fruity bread. The dessert was a success and the Duke called for the chef to congratulate him in front of his guests, however, unable to take the credit, the chef was so grateful that he gave credit to Toni who had really made the bread and that’s how it became known as panettone, hence the name of Panettone similar to ‘Pan di Toni’ (Toni’s bread)
The third legend has a less romantic story claiming that the sweet bread wasn’t created by Signor Ughetto, but by Sister Ughetta, a nun that wanted to please her fellow holy sisters one Christmas. The tale tells of a convent where the prospect of Christmas did little to lift the spirits of its poor and miserable nuns. One day while in the kitchen, it is said that Sister Ughetta fashioned a cake out of kindness for her fellow sisters and added fruit and peel and before baking she took a knife and cut a crucifix shape in its top. Once cooked, the cuts left by the knife opened up in the cupola crust making the cake a pleasing addition to an otherwise meagre festive feast for the holy sisters.
Bibliography:
Lilllie, Barry. The Panettone Legents. https://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/panettone-legends. accessed 01/03/2022.
https://www.consorziopanettone.it/en/tradizione /. accessed 01/03/2022
©2022 MyLinda Butterworth (scholastica.ppa@gmail.com) This article first appeared in The Yeoman- January 2022.
Permission is granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided the author is credited and receives a copy.
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