Have You Ever Tried Panettone Made With Anchovies And Chili Peppers?

Are you an adventurous eater or do you prefer sticking to traditional stuff? Italy’s iconic Christmas cake Panettone is getting a makeover. And I don’t just mean adding to the original recipe chocolate, pistachio cream, tropical fruit, marrons glacés, pine nuts, chestnuts, figs or pineapple (which are still pretty innovative). 

Pastry makers across the country are straying away from tradition. They’re sexing up the Milanese recipe through crazy twists to the classical recipe by using off-the-wall ingredients that don’t normally feature in anything considered ‘sweet’ nor ‘cake’. 

But then again, who says Panettone must be sweet? It can also be salty and spicy, with a fishy taste. And just as mouthwatering. 

The craziest experimental concoctions include Panettone made with anchovies and capers, olives, truffles, bell peppers and chili peppers. 

And would you ever try Panettone with foie gras, cheese, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, tomatoes, aubergines, or even Calabria’s premium red onions?

Now one could ague that if it isn’t sweet, sugary and fruity – like the real Panettone cake is – then it shouldn’t be called ‘cake’ at all. But that would imply setting boundaries to gourmet imagination. 

After all, Italians love to indulge in so-called ‘salty cakes’, aka pies stuffed with lots of tasty ingredients like spinach and fresh ricotta cheese. 

In Rome pastry chefs have adapted Panettone to an iconic farmer’s snack: pears and super tasty sheep Pecorino cheese – the kind with such an intense, pleasant smell that drives gourmands nuts. 

The goal of the Panettone revolution is not only to dare through creativity but also to make Panettone a national cake not specifically tied to the city of Milan. And to turn in into a delicacy not strictly associated to the Christmas celebrations. What’s changing is Panettone’s role on tables: from simple dessert or festive sugary treat it’s now also an elaborate appetizer great for happy hour.

That’s why chefs in southern regions are adopting local ingredients like capers, a top premium product of sunny Sicily that spontaneously grows out of brick walls right in the middle of the street. 

Culinary innovators praise the new creations but purists (particularly northern Panettone worshippers) wrinkle their nose in disgust. They want to stick to their traditional, extra-large sweet muffin and gorge on it during the Christmas holidays.