This is the local desert, but is often eaten at Christmas time. The origins of the cake appear to be ancient possibly dating back to the Roman Empire. Of all the varied legends all have the common theme and that is the source of the bread is Milan.
One legend states that it was invented in the 15th century by an apprentice pastry chef named Toni. When the dough didn’t rise, he added butter and the sweet ingredients and served it as a new type of bread/cake – hence the name ‘pan de Toni.’
The large dome-shaped bread is a very light, sweet bread usually with candied orange, citron and lemon zest as well as raisins through it. You can however buy panettone with chocolate through it or even just plain. It is often served with mascarpone (a type of cream) or you can have it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream if you prefer.
The most famous producers were Motta, Bauli, Loison Pasticceri, Alemagna and Tre Marie.
