I discovered that I liked panettone 30 years later…

When I was a kid, each Christmas, my grandma (who has Italian origin) was buying a panettone from the supermarket. And each Christmas I was tasting it and ending sick. It becomes such a habit that I started to think I was allergic to panettone and developed hate for the smell of the panettone. I could not even stay in the room if someone was unpacking a panettone from his cartonbox…

For those who don’t know this icon from Italy, Panettone is a sweet loaf cake born in Milan. In the imagery of people “panettone” stands for “ Christmas” and “family time”. Usually people don’t even like it but eat it because it’s a moment that you share with your family. I had the chance to meet Maestro Iginio Massari, who was saying that “people eat the sentimental part not the product in itself”.

Over the past few years, there has been an elitist trend to promote again panettone outside the Christmas period. Many bakers started to cook panettone with premium ingredients to change the image of the product, that is associated in our mind today to junk food that you can buy at the supermarket for 3euros…

In Milan, there is even a contest to select the best panettone of the market. Last year, there were more than 250 participants. Can you imagine the jury that has to taste more than 250 pieces of cake ??? For me it would be a nightmare since I hate panettone.

The thing is that actually, when I experimented my first panettone of quality at “Sweety of Milano” event last year, I discovered that I actually liked it. It reminded me the French brioche by the moisture and the consistency of the dough. The flavours of the candied fruit or chocolate, were simply a great surprise. A couple of months later, I had my second panettone at Berton’s (one star Michelin) and it confirmed me that I actually like it, just that I could not eat the industrialized one from the supermarket with this artificial smell of orange…

Want to know who did the best panettone of 2017? You will have to wait Sweety of Milano in September to get the opportunity to try it: http://sweety.italiangourmet.it