Panforte

Whole almonds and candied peel fill the thinly sliced cross-section. Panforte from Siena in Tuscany is a sweet made by adding sugar, honey, a little flour, and spices to nuts and fruit, packing the mixture tightly with no gaps, and baking it. The low, flat cake has no large air bubbles and is packed with nuts and fruit. It is enjoyed at Christmas throughout Italy, and in Siena it is made all year round.

Cross-section of panforte. Location unknown, 2010, Stephen Butterworth (photo source / CC BY-SA 2.0)

Binding with hot sugar syrup and supporting with ostia and a paper band

The process for the certified product begins by dissolving sugar in water, heating it, and mixing in diced candied fruit. The mixture is transferred to a mixer, and almonds, flour, and spices are added and blended in.

The mixture is weighed out onto a thin starch ostia, surrounded with a band of edible paper, flattened, lightly dusted with flour, and baked. After cooling, excess flour and any overhanging ostia and band are removed, and it is finished with powdered sugar or spices. The sticky mixture holds its shape thanks to the ostia on the bottom and the band around the sides, and once cooled it becomes firm enough to slice.

In Iginio Massari’s method, the nuts are roasted first, the fruit and flour are combined, and honey, sugar, water, and spices reduced to 140°C are poured in. The mixture is spread so the pieces are evenly distributed, flattened with a lightly oiled spatula, and baked. How far the syrup is reduced before it is combined varies from maker to maker.

An example of mixing fruit and nuts. Location unknown, 2012, The Integer Club (photo source / CC BY 2.0)

White bianco and black nero: different fruits and spices

Panforte di Siena IGP comes as a white bianco, finished with powdered sugar, and a black nero, finished with a powder containing spices. The fruits and spices used also differ; the two are not distinguished by whether or not they contain chocolate.

The basic ingredients of the white are whole almonds with their skins, candied cedro and orange peel, sugar, multifloral honey, wheat flour, nutmeg, and cinnamon. In the black, the main candied fruits change to melon and orange; nutmeg, cinnamon, and pepper-type spices are used; and honey is optional. The spice flavor comes through more strongly in nero than in bianco.

In both, almonds make up at least 18% of the mixture and candied fruit 35–45%. Of that fruit, at least one quarter is cedro in the white, and at least 40% is melon in the black. They differ not only in color but also in the fruit you taste when you bite into them.

There are also various combinations of nuts and aromas. Hazelnuts, melon, vanilla, and mace may be added to the white, while walnuts, honey, star anise, ginger, and chili pepper may also be used in the black. Cocoa is sometimes added to the surface of the black. The ingredients for the certified product are specified separately for bianco and nero, and no additives, colorings, or preservatives are used.

Bread delivered to a convent, sweets made by apothecaries

Its precursor is said to be a medieval bread made with honey and pepper. A record dated February 7, 1205, mentions bread that peasants and dependents were obliged to give to the nuns of the Montecelso convent. Richly spiced bread also had value as a gift. Its production became linked to apothecaries, and in the 19th century it spread to factories.

The name panforte appears in records from the early 19th century. The Treccani dictionary explains it as a combination of pane and forte, the latter meaning “firm, hard.” Meanwhile, the local protection consortium Coripanf relates that its precursor, made by adding figs, grapes, and honey to flour and water, turned sour and strong over time and was therefore called Panis Fortis. Apart from the meaning given in the dictionary, a local interpretation linking the name to its ingredients and storage has also been handed down.

The old breads with figs and grapes, and the bread delivered to the convent in 1205, did not have the same formulation as today’s bianco and nero. From breads using honey and pepper to sweets in which the fruits used differ by type, the ingredients and form have changed over time.

The legend of the white panforte offered to the queen, and the design of the wrappers

The name “Panforte Margherita” is tied to Queen Margherita’s visit to Siena in 1879. It is said that on the occasion of the August Palio, a panforte with less spice and covered in powdered sugar was presented to her, and the queen’s name remained attached to this white sweet.

From the late 19th century, Sienese artists drew Neo-Gothic and curving floral decorations on the wrapping papers, and a distinctive packaging style for this local specialty also developed. As a seasonal gift made from around September through the end of the year, it received careful attention not only in its flavor but also in the design of its packaging.

Panforte lined up at a shopfront in Siena. 2019, GodeNehler (photo source / CC BY-SA 4.0)

Conditions for the certified product, and the legend of an ingredient count tied to the 17 districts

The area where the IGP-certified product may be produced and packaged is the entire Province of Siena. It comes not only in round but also in rectangular shapes, with a thickness of 14–45 mm and a weight from 33 grams to 6 kilograms. This covers both large cakes cut into wedges or squares and small packaged pieces.

It is also said to be made with 17 ingredients, after the town’s 17 contrade. Certification has no requirement to use 17 ingredients. While a story linking it to the 17 districts has been handed down, for the certified product the conditions on the use of fruits, nuts, and spices are set separately for bianco and nero.

Glossary