Panpepato

Panpepato, together with Panforte, is the oldest sweet of Siena and its recipe was changed several times over the centuries. Story goes that “pan melatos e pepatos” was first produced in the monastery of Saint Ambrogio along the Via Francigena north of Siena. According to legend, it was in 1063 that Sister Leta invented its recipe. The earliest document attesting the existence of Panpepato dates back to 1205 and it belongs to Montecelso Abbey that accepted this sweet as a form of payment of taxes. Panpepato is the son of Panforte which is made with honey, flour and seasonal fruit. Every time the city was besieged, Sister Berta, who cared about the destiny of the city, replaced fresh fruit with candied fruit and added spices, almonds, ginger and pepper turning the Panforte in a very energetic sweet which took the name of Panpepato.

Compared with Panforte, Panpepato is less sweet because of the lack of vanilla and the addition of pepper. Back in 1370 Panpepato was already widely spread and claimed in distant places such as Venice. Panpepato seems to have been a great help for Sienese troops in the famous battle of Monteaperti because Florentine troops refreshed themselves with normal foods, whereas Sienese troops exploited the energetic qualities provided by Panpepato. Later, it earned the reputation of being an aphrodisiac sweet because of the great amount of spices in the dough.