Every summer the people of Siena, Italy celebrate Il Palio-a rich and colorful festival based on centuries of tradition culminating in a daring race on horseback. The festivities of the days of Il Palio are filled with camaraderie and fine food. It is commonly believed that Panforte was introduced 100 AD when Siena was at its peak as a trade center and was one of the first cities to flavor foods with sugar and rare spices from the East. It is said that the monks of Siena were among the first to find pleasure in Panforte's rich nutty flavors and they kept their formulas secret for many centuries. Moreover, legends tell us that Crusaders took Panforte along for sustenance on their rigorous pilgrimages.
Today it is these same ingredients that give Panforte di Siena its authentic medieval taste. Panforte, meaning "strong bread" is a delicious chewy confection filled with the finest roasted hazelnuts and almonds, candied orange and lemon peels, figs (no red or green things, this is not a fruit cake), honey and lots of rich dark European chocolate. Served all year long, Panforte is considered by many to be the best of Senese specialties and is found in abundance during Il Palio. Inspired by this emotion filled festival Coffaro's Baking Company is proud to offer you Panforte di Siena, our own version of this exquisite dolci produced exclusively in the United States.
