Panettone

Fragrant, soft, full of raisins and candied peel of orange and lemon. Or completely without fruit, but richly filled with chocolate or pistachio cream, or in more modern versions - with white chocolate and raspberry, vanilla, lemon cream or, in fact, whatever the Italian pastry chefs want to fill it with, who seem to be competing who's will be more enticing and tastier.

It is panettone - a traditional Italian Christmas cake without which our neighbors cannot imagine Christmas and the holiday table. It started to appear in Croatian supermarkets about fifteen years ago, and it was most often bought and consumed in Istria and Primorje, areas whose cuisine is strongly influenced by neighboring Italy anyway. But today, panettone has acquired full status on tables in all other parts of Croatia, where it starts to be consumed already in the first days of December.

Tradition and innovation

Panettone is an Italian traditional cake whose origin is linked to Milan, although today it is eaten with pleasure all over Italy, Europe and the world. According to some sources, its first versions existed as early as the 13th century. It is a sweet bread made from sourdough, scented with vanilla and rum, enriched with candied lemon and orange peel and topped with a delicious crunchy glaze and candied almonds. Although it is a rather sumptuous and rich dessert with a serious amount of butter, it is characterized by a light and airy structure, and, many will agree, its taste is inimitable and completely unique.

However, not all panettones are the same. Those from the supermarket shelves will hardly delight us, since they are industrial, 'ready-made' products, so when it comes to this Christmas dessert, we want to treat ourselves to artisanal, handmade panettones that will be a worthy end to a holiday lunch or dinner. Italians usually serve them with homemade vanilla cream and mascarpone cheese, but we would dare to say that with such a superb panettone, no addition will be necessary.

And you can find just such, top quality artisanal panettone of the Italian brand La Perla in Harissa Spice Store stores and in the webshop www.harissa.hr. They come to us from Torino, one of the capitals of Italian confectionery and chocolatiers, and they are simply irresistible. Once you try them, you'll keep coming back.

La Perla – a family manufactory from which real confectionary miracles come out

The story of this family confectionery company begins in 1992, when its founder, Sergio Arzilli, who grew up in his parents' family confectionery, discovered that he had celiac disease, i.e. gluten intolerance. This is where his long-term journey of studying the art of chocolate-making begins, which he combines with the skills he acquired in his family. Today, with its La Perla brand, which in addition to fantastic panettones also produces top-quality chocolate, pralines and chocolate truffles, it tells the story of Italian chocolate excellence.

His entrepreneurial project started from a small laboratory where he created his products, carefully considering every part of them: flavors, packaging, and names. This is how, among other things, the chocolate truffle with the signature of La Perla di Torino, known all over the world, was created.

Find panettones, pralines and La Perla truffles in Harissa Spice Store stores and in the webshop www.harissa.hr.