The “pan de Toni”

According to legend, it was born in the Milan of Ludovico il Moro, lord of the city at the end of the 15th century. On Christmas Eve, the Sforza family's cook unfortunately burnt the cake prepared for the banquet. Seeing the cook's despair, Toni, a young kitchen boy, offered a solution: «With what was left in the pantry – a little flour, butter, eggs, some citron peel and a few raisins – I made this cake this morning. If you have nothing else, you can serve it.» The cook agreed and, trembling, hid behind a curtain to watch the guests' reaction. Everyone was delighted, and when the duke wanted to know the name of this delicacy, the cook revealed the secret: «L'è 'l pan del Toni» (it's Toni's bread). Since then it has been "Toni's bread", from which the word “panettone” is said to derive.

This is not the only legend linked to this Christmas cake, however: according to other stories, it was invented by Sister Ughetta or by Ughetto degli Atellani.

Sister Ughetta, the cook of a Milanese convent, decided to make a cake for her fellow nuns at Christmas using the few ingredients available in the convent pantry.

To the usual bread dough she added eggs and sugar, candied fruit and raisins.

The nuns loved it and word spread incredibly fast in Milan: the Milanese began making offerings to the convent to take home some of that special bread.

The third legend, on the other hand, credits its invention to a certain Ughetto.

Chronicles of the time tell that the young man had fallen head over heels in love with Adalgisa, the daughter of a neighbouring baker.

Ughetto got himself hired by the baker as a shop boy and one night added a large quantity of butter to the bread he was kneading. Toni's bread became famous throughout the city and was considered the best in Milan.

Ugo later enriched the recipe with eggs, pieces of candied citron and sultanas, and it was a success! Toni became rich and Adalgisa's parents consented to the marriage of the two young people.