Pan dei Morti is a traditional Italian dessert closely linked to All Saints’ Day and the commemoration of the deceased, which falls on November 1st and 2nd each year.
Origins and history of Pan dei Morti
The origins of Pan dei Morti date back to the early centuries of the Christian era. The All Saints’ Day celebration, which honors all the saints venerated by the Catholic Church, was first established by Pope Boniface IV in 610 A.D. Initially, this celebration took place on May 13 and honored Christian martyrs. It was Pope Gregory IV in 840 A.D. who moved the date of the feast to November 1st, thus originating the tradition of commemorating the deceased on November 2nd, known as the Day of the Dead or Commemoration of the Dead.
Pan dei Morti is therefore a typical dessert of this occasion, born as a poor and simple recipe, prepared at home with available ingredients – such as dry biscuits, dried fruit, cocoa, and spices. Only later were more refined elements added like wine or rum. Traditionally, Pan dei Morti was prepared and left on the table on the night between November 1st and 2nd, as an offering to the souls of the dead who were believed to return to visit on that occasion.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Lombardy
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Pan dei Morti Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cups almonds
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 3.5 oz amaretti cookies
- 7.8 oz ladyfingers
- 3.5 oz dry cookies
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 egg whites (from large eggs)
- 3.5 oz raisins
- 4.2 oz dried figs
- 3.5 oz vin santo
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Tools
- 1 Baking Sheet
How to Prepare Pan dei Morti
To prepare the pan dei morti, first soak the raisins in the vin santo.
Chop the dry cookies, ladyfingers, and amaretti with a mixer then place them in a bowl.
Finely chop the almonds and add them to the bowl with the cookie powder.
In the mixer, incorporate the dried figs and sugar and chop them coarsely.
Add the flour with the sifted baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and pinch of grated nutmeg to the bowl.
Lastly, incorporate the raisins with the vin santo, and egg whites and mix using a spatula or your hands.
When the mixture is compact, work it on the work surface into a loaf shape.
Cut it into 1/2-inch thick slices and try to give them a slightly oval shape.
Place the pan dei morti on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, preheat the oven to 355°F static mode.
Bake the pan dei morti for at least 30 minutes, keeping in mind that once removed from the oven, as they cool they will tend to dry out further.
Once cool, sprinkle them with plenty of powdered sugar before enjoying and…
ENJOY YOUR MEAL
How to Store Pan dei Morti
You can store the cookies in a tin box for up to 5 days.
This dessert is particularly popular in some northern Italian regions, such as Lombardy, Piedmont, and Liguria. However, the tradition of preparing typical sweets for the commemoration of the deceased is present in many other regions of Italy, with different recipes and names.
For example, in Puglia there is Cartellate with pomegranate, in Sicily the Bones of the Dead, in Trentino Alto Adige the Horses, while in Naples there is the Morticiello or Torrone dei Morti. In Umbria and other regions, almond cookies called Dead Man’s Fava Beans are prepared.
Although recipes may vary from area to area, all these preparations share the intention of celebrating, through food, the memory of loved ones who have passed away during the festivities of All Saints and the Commemoration of the Dead.
