Panetón: where does the obsession of Peruvians with this Italian tradition come from?

What it was that in the 1950s called the attention of the Milanese Angelo Motta about a land called Peru, is something that only he knew. Maybe some family link, the cook suspects Sandra Plevisani. Perhaps news of a fertile market to do business with, suggests baker Lucho Rovegno. Possibly it’s a bit of all of that or, as it happens over and over throughout history, it’s just a stroke of luck.

A pastry chef by trade, Motta had opened a shop in Milan in 1919 where he produced different typical sweets, among them the panettone, a sweet bread made from brioche dough with regional versions scattered throughout Italy. It is in Milan, however, where its origin and its celebrity lie. In fact, many emblematic Motta posters from the 1930s and 1940s show the panettone with the Milan Duomo in the background. It’s funny: the Italian colony in Peru is mostly Genoese. Of course they consumed panettone on Christmas, but the sale was niche, in specialized establishments and only for families living on our coasts (mainly in La Punta or around the center).

A sum of all the factors would help to understand why the panettone that Peruvians eat today is the way it is. For starters, it looks slightly tall; It is not a ‘chatito’ cake, as many of the more traditional panettone are. It also tends to do without orange and instead candied fruits are used –in Peru, the vast majority are usually made with papaya and with the part that separates the rind from the watermelon pulp– and black raisins instead of blondes.

Flours and other inputs had to be replaced by local ingredients and that had an impact on the product. Much of this could be due to the preference of the Genoese from Lima, but also to the industrial model that took off in the 1960s, with the Motta brand – already in Lima – at the helm. Far were the figures that define us today: about four panettone a year per family. Then it was only produced for a more limited sale, perhaps segmented.

Angelo Motta would not have known, but one day the panettone It would be sold in every tap, warehouse, and penitentiary in Peru. And some nutritionist would find its caloric equivalency in buttered breads.

Good sense of smell

Two years after opening the bakery that bears his name in San Isidro, the Genoese Mario Rovegno he had a baker brought from Milan to perfect his recipe for panettone. It was 1962. For his son Lucho, Christmas started more or less from October: it was there when they started production. From that date they ate panettone almost every day, mainly the samples that were coming out and that were quickly exhausted. For him, as for so many Peruvians of his generation, onwards, the panettone has a flavor that is sometimes difficult to describe but that can be translated, rather, into a feeling: childhood. To speak of panettone is to speak of nostalgia, of family. From grandparents, parents, siblings; happy Days. Perhaps that is why we return to it year after year. It is enough that we open a bag or box to transport ourselves to those scenes that make up the most endearing moments of our lives (the commercials of the eighties and nineties knew how to take advantage of the latter). As cheesy as it sounds to say, trying a piece of panettone is tasting a piece of happiness. Even if it’s brief.

The dough, the fruit and the smoothness are key points, but it is the smell that really sets the product apart. “At the beginning my father brought the essence of panettone from Italy, which came in large bottles,” says Lucho. “It lasted only 30 days, so you had to eat the fresh, freshly baked panettone,” he adds. Currently there are as many mix options as there are panettones on the market: from industrial ones to artisanal infusions. There is no exact formula: it is a range of profiles. For Sandra Plevisani, for example, it could be defined as a rum aroma without liquor. “In Peru there are those who put custard apple essence, but this has nothing to do with the classic version,” he explains. “In the end it is a combination that has fruity notes (lots of orange) and sugary,” he says. Butter and vanilla are also part of the equation.

Sandra Plevisani grew up eating panettone – a must for Christmas breakfast or as a dessert after Christmas Eve dinner – but it is on her travels in Italy that she has learned some golden rules. The first is that – unlike in Peru, where it is already sold all year round, including the National Holidays – the panettone It obeys an exclusively Christmas celebration, especially when we talk about the artisan versions (the industrial ones can be found more easily). The second is that there are no sins when it comes to enjoying it. “I make French toast, puddings … comparisons with amounts of bread are not fair or adequate. How many ‘loaves’ do so many other dishes equal? ​​”, He says. If once a year not a year ago, what is the fault of the panettone that this side of the hemisphere is summer?

Full table

The paper that we tear, peel – and sometimes even bite – bears the technical name of panettone pyrotin. It is made with special baking paper (glassine or kraft) and it is essential to prepare it. Panettone is never made in a mold. Another element that defines it is the strand or crumb, “which must be airy and fluffy, soft and delicate, with a butter and orange flavor”, explains the baker. Renato Peralta. A good kiosko chancay or a bread bus are just as delicious, he maintains, but there is something about the technique behind the panettone that gives it a special touch. “The product has a polished technique, longer fermentation time, more quality elements that make up the final flavors; It is not an average cake, ”he continues. Your baker colleague, Bertha Uribe, do you agree. “The long strand is a sign that there is a good production process, but it is not the only thing. The smell is another indication: it should not smell like alcohol or artificial essences. The crumb should not be dry or crumble (break) and, when crushed, it should never be hard ”, he adds.

As a final condition, a non-negotiable aspect: it is mandatory that the panettone has more than 30% of fruits (they do not necessarily have to be ordinary candied fruits) because it is a special, celebratory bread. Let the party begin and the first round of hot chocolate comes out. Even though the thermometer reads 30 ° C.