Panficao del Giglio

Typical sweet of Isola del Giglio

The panficato is the winter dessert par excellence of Isola del Giglio which apparently derives from the equally renowned Sienese panforte. Prepared according to a traditional recipe that recalls the famous sweet of Siena.

The story goes that it was a group of inhabitants in the province of Siena, invited by Medici family to the island to reinvigorate local people massacred by the incursions of the Saracens led by Barbarossa, who prepared their traditional sweet by changing the recipe and replacing some ingredients with those found on the Elbe.

The main ingredients that today give life and flavour to the panficato are dried figs and black walnuts, mixed with raisins, almonds, yeast and wine then baked until soft and sweet bread, with a characteristic brown color.

The old recipe handed down from generation to generation, it is not uncommon to find slightly modified versions of the original, what unites them is the long process of preparation involving the figs soak in wine for at least a day.

Today you can find this tasty sweet in many bakeries on the island, that produce with traditional techniques.

 

Photo Credits [giglionews.it]