Pandoro cake is kind of like the sister cake to panettone. While panettone is round and squat and filled with candied fruit, traditional pandoro is a tall, plain, soft butter cake topped with powdered sugar. Pandoro is wider at the bottom than it is at the top, and traditionally is shaped so that when one cuts a horizontal slice, it comes out looking like a star! Many Italian brands that make panettone also make pandoro, such as Fiasconaro, Bauli, Filippi, and Tre Marie. What is colomba cake? Others claim that the name panettone derives from “ el pan de Toni” in honor of a cook who, to delight, some Milanese nobles who gathered for Christmas dinner, invented this traditional dessert using the ingredients of his pantry. History and legend are linked around the panettone, but what really matters is that, like many icons of Italian food, this one too is deeply rooted in the culture and tradition of our fascinating Country. Italian Panettone: The Numbers Abroad EK: “This is a pretty good, very classic panettone. It’s fruit heavy but it needs more citrus; there’s enough peel, but it’s missing the citrus oil. It’s very similar to the Tesco panettone, but it’s better and cheaper.” Score 7.5/10

Before finding out which are the 5 Best Panettone that you really should try for a truly Italian Christmas, let’s analyze some data related to the export of this dessert to the world. There is much expectation to understand if in 2019 the market trend will be as positive as last year: over 500 million euros of Italian Christmas sweets (mainly pandoro and panettone) exported from Italy to many countries around the globe and +10% compared to the previous year. BE: “It’s very small for such a big box. I feel a bit underwhelmed. The cherries on top look nice, but I really don’t want the chocolate – I want to see the top. It’s well filled, there’s a good distribution of cherries and chocolate chunks in there, and I like that there’s a bit of alcohol to cut through the sweetness. Do I want a big slice? No.” Score 5.5/10BE: “This looks better than the picture on the box, which is rare. It feels dense, and the texture of the cream inside is just odd and way too sweet. The bread doesn’t have enough orange in it for a chocolate-orange panettone, either.” Score 4/10 We ranked the panettone brands by following the preferences of Bell Italia customers. We would like to remind our readers that it is possible to consult the constantly updated gallery to view a selection of the goods that we prepare daily for the most disparate destinations … best panettone included, of course. EK: “This is nice and tall, which is what you want, but it looks a bit sad. Do you know what this tastes like? Fruit bread. It’s got the texture of panettone but it’s really missing the classic panettone citrus oil – you can smell it, but you can’t taste it. There are loads of raisins in it, so it’s good for breakfast.” Score 6/10 BE: “Appearance-wise it’s not giving a lot. Oh gosh, what’s this? Coffee cream! The cream is odd; it tastes like fake, diluted coffee and the texture coats your tongue. No, don’t buy this. I’m not even getting tiramisu – you’d be better off buying a tiramisu, buying a panettone, and enjoying them separately.” Score 1/10

Are you abroad and want to know what is the best panettone to try for a truly Italian Christmas? Then keep reading this article! The Christmas holidays are almost upon us and wholesalers, retailers, importers, and restaurateurs from all over the world are taking action not to miss the dessert par excellence of this period: panettone. Symbol of history, tradition, and made-in-Italy quality, panettone today is known and appreciated all over the world; the credit goes to the Italian communities abroad that have exported the tradition of consuming the typical Christmas cake. But it also goes to the companies producing our country’s best panettone brands, which are able to win over consumers on every continent with the quality and authenticity of their products. What is panettone and what is its almost mythological history EK: “It’s quite dry and the least rich dough we’ve tried. The filling is better than Aldi’s but it’s still too sweet – all you’re left with at the end is an artificial taste. It needs some citrus peel to balance things out.” Score 5/10 BE: “This looks pleasing; the wrapper is decorative, you can see all the fruit coming through, and it’s got good height. The sweetness level is good, but I’m not getting any prosecco. I like the texture, and I could eat more than one slice of this – but you have to lose marks because I’m not tasting booze.” Score 7/10 BE: “This isn’t panettone; we’ve gone too far over the line. There’s none of that classic panettone flavour (apart from the peel) to redeem it, and it’s all sugar. It does look playful and fun, though, so it could be good for kids.” Score 3.5/10EK: “It looks like a Ferrero Rocher. The chocolate is quite thin, which I’m happy about; the caramel is so cinnamon-y and there’s so much of it; the bread is bland on its own. It’s crazy how sweet this is, it’s headache-inducing.” Score 3/10 EK: “I like the mix of sugar and almonds in the crust, but this panettone is bland – there’s no almond flavour in there. If you’re going to sell it as cherry and almond, then people are going to expect that bitter almond taste. Nice texture, though.” Score 6/10 BE: “It looks like a giant hot cross bun – they’ve put the wrong thing inside! There’s lots of plump, juicy fruit and peel in here; it’s not bad at all. This feels more like an everyday panettone. If you love hot cross buns, this is for you.” Score 6/10 EK: “This has one of the nicest shapes, but I’m ambivalent; there’s nothing wrong with it but it’s not special, and there’s only a very small aftertaste of alcohol. This is a very happy breakfast panettone.” Score 6.5/10