Dense, chewy and fragrant with honey and spice, panforte is Siena’s Christmas speciality. Here is where it comes from and how to enjoy it.

Long before panettone became the face of an Italian Christmas, Tuscany had panforte. Its roots go back to medieval Siena, where a spiced honey bread called panpepato was recorded as early as 1205. Made with costly spices, honey and almonds, it was a luxury for the wealthy and an energy-rich provision for pilgrims. The name means “strong bread”, after its powerful spicing.

A slice of tradition

Seggiano’s Traditional Panforte is handmade by a family bakery in the province of Siena, with toasted almonds, candied citrus peel, local honey, and cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, mace and coriander. It is dense and almost fudgy, with an aroma of citrus and spice, and so rich that Italians serve it in thin slices.

How to serve it

Serve a thin slice with a strong espresso, whose bitterness balances the honey and candied fruit, or with a glass of Vin Santo, Moscato or tawny port. It also suits soft cheeses such as mascarpone, ricotta and taleggio, and creamy blues.

For a quick pudding, make a classic Italian affogato and crumble panforte over the top in place of the chocolate. Or scatter chopped panforte over a spiced fruit, mascarpone and muscat semifreddo, which shares its candied peel, nuts and spice. For a cheeseboard, cut it into thin fingers to serve with gorgonzola dolce. And to bake your own, try our panforte recipe.