Panellets

Panellets are small sweets eaten in Catalonia and elsewhere during the autumn Castanyada. The best-known type is made by rolling marzipan, a mixture of almonds and sugar, into balls, coating them all over with pine nuts and baking them. Some are made with chopped almonds, coconut, coffee and other ingredients, and they are arranged together on a plate in a variety of colors and shapes.

A Moist Center and Pine Nuts

One method for pine nut panellets is to coat the rolled dough with egg white and press pine nuts onto it before baking. The egg white holds the nuts on the dough, and the heat of the oven gives the surface a toasty color. Inside is moist almond dough; on the outside, the pine nuts remain whole.

There are also versions coated in chopped almonds, versions with fruit added, and versions flavored with coconut or coffee. From the same marzipan, many varieties are made by changing the shape and finish.

Home recipes vary as well. One example from the Spanish tourism agency mixes boiled sweet potato into the almond dough. Meanwhile, the European Union registered panellets as a traditional specialty in 2002. The specification for the registered product, approved in 2008, states that the basic marzipan uses almonds, sugar and eggs, with no sweet potatoes, potatoes or similar ingredients added. The range of sweets made at home differs from the scope of the registered product, which must meet certain conditions.

Welcoming Autumn with Chestnuts

The Castanyada is the custom of gathering around chestnuts and panellets around All Saints’ Day and the following day, All Souls’ Day. According to Catalan government sources, in late 18th-century Barcelona, chestnut and panellet markets were held in what is now the old town, and the sweets were arranged on plates and decorated in patterns. The sources also cite records of people bringing sweets in baskets to church, having them blessed and sharing them.

A market’s description notes that in Barcelona, families gathered around the autumn table with chestnuts and panellets accompanied by sweet wine.

Raffles with sweets as prizes have also continued as a local autumn tradition. A Catalan encyclopedia notes that panellet raffles are still held in towns such as Reus. Each small piece is both a sweet to eat with chestnuts and a pleasure shared among families and towns.

Glossary