{{Short description|Italian round, sweet cake}} {{Italics title}} {{Infobox food | name = ''Panpepato'' | image = Panpepato di Terni.jpg | image_size = | caption = | alternate_name = ''Pampepato'' | country = Italy | region = | creator = | course = | type = Cake | served = | main_ingredient = Almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, zest of orange and lime | variations = ''Pangiallo'', ''panforte'' }}
'''''Panpepato''''' or '''''pampepato''''' ({{literally|peppered bread}}) is a round, sweet cake typical of the province of Ferrara, Siena, the south Umbria and north of Lazio. It is a type of ''panforte''.<ref name=Riley2007 /> Dating to the medieval era, it is often consumed on special occasions.
==History== ''Panpepato'' is "the direct descendant of medieval sweet breads" which during the Renaissance were traditionally prepared by bakers as a gift to their noble employers.<ref name=Field1990p272>{{cite book |last=Field |first=Carol |author-link=Carol Field |title=Celebrating Italy |publisher=W. Morrow and Company |year=1990 |isbn=0-688-07093-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/celebratingitaly0000fiel_m3t3/page/272/mode/2up |page=272}}</ref> ''Panpepato'' is attested as early as 1205 being made by Camaldolese nuns near Siena; the spices which lend ''panpepato'' its flavor likely traveled west after the Crusades.<ref name=Meis1993>{{cite book |last=Meis |first=John Dore |title=A Taste of Tuscany |publisher=Pavilion Books |year=1993 |isbn=1-85145-571-X |url=https://archive.org/details/tasteoftuscany0000meis/page/24/mode/2up |pages=25–26}}</ref> Ex-voto offerings of ''panpepato'' shaped like body parts that need healing are traditionally made for the Feast of San Rocco.<ref name=Field1990p134>{{cite book |last=Field |first=Carol |author-link=Carol Field |title=Celebrating Italy |publisher=W. Morrow and Company |year=1990 |isbn=0-688-07093-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/celebratingitaly0000fiel_m3t3/page/134/mode/2up |page=134}}</ref>
Borso d'Este served ''panpepati'' adorned with gold at a November 11, 1465 banquet.<ref name=Root1971>{{cite book |last=Root |first=Waverley |author-link=Waverley Root |date=1992 |orig-date=1971 |title=The Food of Italy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M4k-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA157 |publisher=Vintage Books |page=157 |isbn=978-0-679-73896-1}}</ref> Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici requested ''panpepato'' from home after traveling to take up residence in Düsseldorf upon her marriage.<ref name=Riley2007 />
In Ferrara, ''panpepato di cioccolato'' remains a traditional food during the Christmas holidays.<ref name=Root1971 /> During World War II, Dwight D. Eisenhower received an 11-pound ''panpepato'' as a gift from the bakers of Ferrara.<ref name=Root1971 />
==Preparation== Francesco Redi categorised the ''panpepato'' of his time in three versions: ''sopraffina'', made with refined sugar and decorated with marzipan and icing; a medium quality version with honey; and a rustic version made from whole-wheat flour.<ref name=Riley2007 /> In more modern times, Danilo Nannini re-introduced ''panpepato'' production to Siena in 1965 after conducting extensive research.<ref name=Meis1993 /> During the production of Nannini ''panpepato'', a mix of candied fruit, honey, sugar, and water is heated to {{convert|279|C|F}}; the heated syrup is combined with flour, nuts, and spices to make a dough; the dough is rolled in flour and moulded into discs for baking; and the finished product is cooled overnight before being sealed in aluminum foil and wrapped in paper packaging.<ref name=Meis1993 />
Recipes for ''panpepato'' vary greatly in different regions. In Tuscany, ''panpepato'' is typically made with almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, and candied fruit rind; in Ferrara, ''panpepato'' is low and round, filled with fruits and nuts, and coated in chocolate; and in Umbria, ''panpepato'' often includes chocolate folded directly into the dough.<ref name=Field1990p257>{{cite book |last=Field |first=Carol |author-link=Carol Field |title=Celebrating Italy |publisher=W. Morrow and Company |year=1990 |isbn=0-688-07093-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/celebratingitaly0000fiel_m3t3/page/256/mode/2up |pages=257–258}}</ref> (The addition of chocolate to ''panpepato'' post-dates the introduction of chocolate to Italy circa 1600.<ref name=Field1990p257 />) ''Panpepato'' typically also includes spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, and its namesake black pepper.<ref name=Riley2007>{{cite book |last=Riley |first=G. |title=The Oxford Companion to Italian Food |publisher=Oxford University Press, USA |series=Oxford Companion To Series |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-19-860617-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-HStec87HdcC&pg=PT386 | access-date=June 9, 2016 | page=360}}</ref> Sweeteners such as honey or ''vincotto'' are often also used.<ref name=Field1990p257 /><ref name=Burum1993>{{cite news |last=Burum |first=Linda |date=16 December 1993 |title=Cookies: Shopping for Tradition |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-12-16-fo-2230-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=16 July 2025}}</ref><!--yes I know the cited source says "vino cotto" but they are clearly describing "vincotto" which is a different substance (typographical error on part of writer)-->
==See also== {{Commons category-inline}} {{Portal|Italy|Food}} * List of Italian desserts and pastries * ''Panforte''
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Cakes}}
Category:Italian cakes Category:Cuisine of Emilia-Romagna Category:Cuisine of Tuscany Category:Cuisine of Lazio Category:Italian desserts Category:Christmas cakes