Today we went to the Panforte Factory. Panforte is a Tuscan specialty. The best way I can explain it’s taste is a really good fruit cake. They come in all different flavors too – chocolate, the classic which is from the 13th century, and the margherita one, named after one of the king of Italy’s wives.
The “boss” showed us the whole way around the factory all the different steps it takes to make this scrumptious sort of fruit cake thing. It smelled of Christmas in there!
In the 13th Century, panforte was created because there were so many spices being traded in Siena from the east. The best way to describe it is a stiff fruit cake w/ almonds, but it also tastes like a pumpkin pie a bit. A fruit pumpkin pie cake basically….sort of…
After the tour we were brought the sampling room.
It was Cookie Monster Heaven. Then I got a cookie coma. But it was in the name of panforte, so it was a validated gluttony.
My favorite Sienese cookies are Ricciarelli ones. They are soft almond flavored cookies with powdered sugar all over. They also come in chocolate. numnumnumnum
Il panforte e tanto delicioso per me; manda uno a me.
ReplyDeleteI am now craving Italian deserts from Tuscany - you are soooo lucky.
Anne