Panforte (meaning ‘strong bread’) is found in all Sienese patisserie shops. It is a firm, chewy cake packed with nuts and spices. It is thought to date back to the 13th century as documents show it was given by traders to monks and nuns as a form of tax. Spice, although hugely expensive and exotic, was traded in Siena at the time through connections with the Middle East. It has taken Stefano Borella (a chef at our cookery school) and me years to be able to make a panforte that we are happy with, so a massive thank you to Antonella Secciani for sharing her precious recipe with us.
In 1879, Queen Margherita of Savoy paid a visit to Siena and a local spice seller made a version of the panforte cake with a white layer of vanilla-flavoured sugar on top in her honour, instead of black pepper; this is still available today. There are also darker versions with cocoa powder, others with walnuts, dried figs and many more. Every panforte-maker has their own secret blend of panforte spices and they never give away their recipes. Antonella’s recipe is simple, but you can experiment by adding pinches of ground black pepper, nutmeg, coriander, cloves and ginger. The spice rub is not essential but I rather like the hint of peppery heat that it gives.