Among the typical Italian Christmas sweets, there are two recipes that might seem very similar, but are in fact, outside of their regions of provenance, unknown to many. We’re talking about the Bisciola from Valtellina and the Genoese Pandolce (sometimes called panettone). But between the two, which one is better?
Napoleon invented it, or probably not
Let's start with the Valtellina Bisciola. The traditional peasant dessert par excellence, whose name probably derives from the Latin word ‘buccella,’ meaning ‘morsel.’ According to legend, the dessert was invented by Napoleon who, in 1797, ordered his cook to prepare a sweet using the ingredients of the territory. The cook found buckwheat flour, butter, honey, grapes, nuts and dried figs. And so, the Bisciola was born. Unfortunately, though, Napoleon never made it to Valtellina. In all probability, the Bisciola is a much more ancient cake recipe, of which there is no trace in recipe books handed down over generations, since it’s traditionally a peasant dish, as evidenced by the ingredients like buckwheat flour and honey – the “poor man’s” version of sugar and white flour at the time. (Sugar and white flour were historically reserved for the lavish tables of the wealthy.) The Bisciola is therefore a sort of sweet bread, which today is seasoned with butter, honey, raisins, walnuts, dried figs and sometimes hazelnuts and pine nuts. They enrich a basic dough made from a mix of white and buckwheat flour, yeast and eggs.
The recipe of the Valtellina Bisciola
Ingredients:
12 oz 00 flour
1 cup milk
4 oz rye flour
4 oz raisins
4 oz dried figs
4 oz walnut kernels
3 oz butter
2 ½ oz sugar
2 ½ oz grappa
2 ½ oz peeled and toasted hazelnuts
2 ½ oz boiled chestnuts
1 ½ oz honey
¾ oz fresh brewer's yeast
¾ oz shelled pine nuts
2 yolks
vanilla
salt
Method:
Soak the raisins in the grappa. Mix in the mixer the flour with the rye flour, add the sugar, honey, crumbled yeast and the seeds of a vanilla pod; then add the milk, the softened butter in pieces, the egg yolks and, lastly, a pinch of salt. Knead for 5-6 minutes, remove the dough from the mixer, knead it by hand on a floured surface and gather into a ball. Place it in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let it rise for about 1 hour until it has doubled in volume. In the meantime, chop up the figs, walnuts, hazelnuts and chestnuts. Take the dough and incorporate the chopped fruit, raisins and pine nuts. Form a ball again and place it in a mold (diameter 20 cm, h 4.5 cm). Let it rise covered with plastic wrap for another hour. Bake the cake at 170°C for about 45 minutes.
From the East to Andrea Doria
Quite different is the story of the Genoese Pandolce. A cake most likely of Eastern origins, introduced to the city of Genoa by intrepid Genoese navigators. According to legend, the Pandolce became the Christmas dessert par excellence thanks to Admiral Andrea Doria (the very same responsible for the popularity of the Piscialandrea), who announced a competition among the best pastry chefs of Genoa. The winner was Pandolce, and not only for its taste. Like the Valtellina Bisciola, the Pandolce has the advantage of being preserved for a long time, especially for long sea trips. There are two variants of the Pandolce, as well – the fluffy, soft version and the less leavened, more flat version, which is sometimes mistakenly referred to as “ancient Pandolce.” In reality, the difference lies only in the leavening times – less leavening for the flatter variant and longer times for the fluffier version. In the past, Pandolce was typically made for Christmas using only flour, oil, honey, raisins, orange blossom water, star anise seeds, pine nuts and natural yeast. Only later were the candied orange and citron peels added – along with the replacement of extra-virgin olive oil with butter and honey with sugar. According to tradition, the youngest of the family had to take the olive or bay leaf twig placed on top of the Pandolce, while it was up to the oldest to cut and distribute it. A slice, moreover, had to be kept for the day of San Biagio, and donated to the first wayfarer who knocked on the door – a similar tradition to the Milanese San Biagio Panettone. All the recipes for Pandolce place particular attention on the long leavening times, which usually last between 5 and 7 hours.
The recipe of the Genoese Pandolce
Ingredients:
4 cups flour, plus extra
sugar
1 stick of butter, plus extra
2 oz bread dough
dry Marsala wine
raisins
3 tbsp pine nuts
shelled pistachios
1 oz candied fruit
1 tbsp fennel seeds
Orange blossom water
Salt
Method:
Mix the bread dough with 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of water, and a pinch of salt until you obtain a smooth dough. Place it in a bowl and let it rise, covered, at 82°F for 18 hours. Add the remaining flour, the Marsala wine, the melted butter, a tablespoon of orange blossom water, and the sugar to the leavened dough. Combine the ingredients and knead the dough for 10 minutes until it is nice and even.
Incorporate the ground fennel seeds, the pine nuts, the pistachios, the soaked and drained raisins, and the chopped candied fruit into the dough. Form the dough into a ball, place it on a tray lined with parchment paper, and surround it with a buttered and floured adjustable cake ring with 3-inch high edges, leaving about 1/2 inch of space around the dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rise for another 12 hours at 82°F.
Score the top of the dough with a cross shape, spray it with water, and bake it at 350°F for about 70 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven, remove it from the ring, and let it cool on a grate. It will be good for a few days at room temperature or heated in the oven.