Panpepato, the traditional Christmas cake from Anagni, is also widespread throughout central Italy. Its main ingredients are almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts and chocolate, bound together with honey and flour, and spiced with pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and candied orange.
The name of the cake probably derives from “Pan-papato”, being Anagni the town of the Popes. The Pope himself and his high-ranking prelates appreciated this speciality so much that its shape recalls a papal hat. Another interpretation is based on the double meaning of “pepato”, spicy, being the combination of dried fruits and chocolate considered an aphrodisiac.
According to the ancient tradition passed down through generations, the cake is prepared at home and offered as a Christmas gift to relatives and friends.
The recipe is easy…
Ingredients
candied orange peel
pine nuts
walnuts
hazelnuts
almonds
raisins
dark chocolate
honey
flour
wine must
cocoa
Prepare a mixture of all the ingredients and after letting it rest for a while, form, with wet hands, small, rounded loaves. Finally, bake them in the oven at 180 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Panpepato from Anagni