Panforte, A Recipe From Siena Italy - Lavender and Lime (2024)

FAQs

When should I eat Panforte? ›

Panforte is a must at Christmas time, but why not enjoying its soft and scented dough all year round? Traditionally, Panforte was a product for rich people, since its ingredients were very costly. That explains why it was only eaten during the festivities.

Panforte, a Christmas "fruitcake" native to Siena, Italy, is a delicious cross between candy and cake. Hazelnuts, almonds, and candied peel, mixed with flour, spices, and a rich honey-butter-sugar syrup, are baked till barely set.

Panforte, meaning "strong bread," traces its roots back to the medieval city of Siena in Tuscany, Italy. Initially, it was created as a special dish for religious festivals and celebrations. The recipe was crafted to showcase the abundant flavors of the region, including honey, dried fruits, nuts, and aromatic spices.

Usually a small wedge is served with coffee or a dessert wine after a meal, though some enjoy it with their coffee at breakfast.

Panforte is a chewy, delicious Italian fruitcake made with honey, sugar, nuts, chocolate and fruit. Traditionally, it is dusted with icing sugar and served with strong black coffee. It can also make a decadent dessert. Served in thin wedges, a little goes a long way.

Literally translated, panforte means “strong bread” a reference to its rich and aromatic flavor. Panforte is a traditional Christmas Italian dessert containing fruits and nuts, and resembles fruitcake. The predominant spices in panforte are nutmeg, cinnamon , coriander, and cloves.

An Italian panforte recipe uses circles of rice paper to line the pan. As I recall, this also is how they are sold in Italy, with the rice paper serving as a crisp, edible, but unobtrusive, bottom crust.

Invert panforte again and allow to cool completely. (When cool, it can be wrapped in several layers of plastic wrap and a layer of foil and stored in an airtight container for several weeks, or frozen for up to 6 months.) Before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar and cut in small wedges.

The two main types of panforte are panforte Margherita, which is lighter and usually contains candied citrus, and panforte nero, which has added cocoa and spices, and which usually incorporates more dried fruits like figs and raisins.

There are a few theories as to how it got its name. One, it's the decadent counterpart to angel food cake. Two, it's sinfully delicious. Finally, devil's food cake came about during a time when food that was spicy, rich, or dark was described as deviled, like deviled ham and deviled eggs.

When should I eat my biggest meal? ›

Even if you can't eat an early dinner, you should try to make breakfast and lunch your biggest meals of the day and dinner your smallest. If you're used to eating a small lunch and a big dinner, then switch the order. You can make your dinner a meal that's heavy on vegetables to lighten it up.

Be sure to eat within the first hour you wake up, between 6 and 10 a.m. This is the ideal timeframe to help you ser yourself up for your next meal a few hours after breakfast.

Experts suggest that dinner should be eaten within 7 pm. Eating an early and light dinner helps to improve sleep, improves digestion, boosts metabolism and also reduces blood pressure, keeping you healthy. Most health problems can be solved in a jiffy if we only start to eat our dinner early.