''Bisciola'' () is an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

sweet leavened bread originating in the Valtellina Valley of Lombardy, Italy. It is typically prepared for

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

, during which time it is an essential component of Christmas festivities. It is also known as ''panettone valtellinese'', ''besciola'', and ''pan di fich'', the latter a name in the

local dialect Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administra ...

literally translating as 'fig bread'.

Etymology

The term ''bisciola'' probably derives from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''buccella'', meaning 'morsel'. A legend states that in 1797,

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

was passing through the region and ordered his cook to prepare a sweet using local ingredients. The cook obtained buckwheat flour, butter, dried figs, grapes, honey, and nuts, and created what came to be known as ''bisciola''. However, according to ''

La cucina Italiana ''La Cucina Italiana'' is an Italian monthly magazine focused on gastronomy and food culture. History First published in Milan on 15 December 1929 on the initiative of the journalist and literary man Umberto Notari, at the suggestion of his wi ...

'', Napoleon was never in Valtellina. Since ''bisciola'' was traditionally a peasant food, its original recipe was never recorded and is probably an "ancient cake recipe".

Description

The bread has been described as having a rustic appearance and likened to a more traditional panettone. It is a tasty, firm and crunchy loaf with pleasant scent. Like similar sweet breads from Italy, including ''

colomba pasquale Colomba pasquale or colomba di Pasqua ("Easter Dove" in English) is an Italian traditional Easter bread, the counterpart of the two well-known Italian Christmas desserts, panettone and pandoro. The dough for the colomba is made in a similar m ...

'', '' pandolce'', ''

pandoro Pandoro is a traditional Italian sweet bread, most popular around Christmas and New Year. Typically a Veronese product, pandoro is traditionally shaped like a frustum with an eight-pointed star section. It is often served dusted with vanil ...

'', and

panettone Panettone (, ; lmo, label= Milanese, panetton ) is an Italian type of sweet bread, and fruitcake, originally from Milan, usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year in Western, Southern, and Southeastern Europe as well as in South ...

, the final prepared ''bisciola'' has a humidity ranging from 18% to 24%. It is usually served after ''pranzo'' (lunch) or

Christmas dinner Christmas dinner is a meal traditionally eaten at Christmas. This meal can take place any time from the evening of Christmas Eve to the evening of Christmas Day itself. The meals are often particularly rich and substantial, in the tradition of ...

, either at room temperature or slightly warmed. Outside of meals, it is often dipped in grappa or coffee. It may also be served with

zabaione Zabaione () or zabaglione (, , ) is an Italian dessert, or sometimes a beverage, made with egg yolks, sugar, and a sweet wine (usually Moscato d'Asti or Marsala wine). Some versions of the recipe incorporate spirits such as cognac. The desser ...

Preparation

The bread requires a natural sourdough to prepare. The flour used is any of

rye flour Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is u ...

, type 00

wheat flour Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content. Hard flour, or ''bread ...

, or

whole-wheat flour Whole-wheat flour (in the US) or wholemeal flour (in the UK) is a powdery substance, a basic food ingredient, derived by grinding or mashing the whole grain of wheat, also known as the wheatberry. Whole-wheat flour is used in baking of breads ...

. Artisanal versions are made using

buckwheat Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum''), or common buckwheat, is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. The name "buckwheat" is used for several other species, such as ''Fagopy ...

flour. The dough is additionally composed of butter, milk, sugar, and

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constit ...

. Ingredients added to the dough mixture include dried

fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

raisin A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, the word ''raisin'' is reserved for the ...

s, and

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...

s. Some versions may substitute one or more of those ingredients with hazelnuts,

pine nut Pine nuts, also called piñón (), pinoli (), pignoli or chilgoza (), are the edible seeds of pines (family Pinaceae, genus ''Pinus''). According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, only 29 species provide edible nuts, while 20 are trad ...

s, almonds, or dried apricots. The process requires from 20 to 36 hours to obtain the full sourdough; a ''mother dough'' (also known as a ''starter'') is mixed with the flour and water, then set aside to leaven for up to 6 hours. To this is then added more flour and water and is again set aside to leaven for 3–4 hours. In the final sourdough stage, more flour and water are added, and a small portion set aside to leaven 18–36 hours. This is the new ''mother dough'', and the rest is divided into smaller portions and used to prepare ''bisciola''. To the mix of each portion is added dried figs, raisins, and walnuts, all of which have been cut into pieces, and are thoroughly integrated into the dough, after which it is set aside to leaven for about an hour. It is then shaped into a loaf, given an

egg wash An egg wash is beaten eggs, sometimes mixed with another liquid such as water or milk, which is sometimes brushed onto the surface of a pastry before baking. Egg washes are also used as a step in the process of breading foods, providing a substra ...

, and baked for 40–50 minutes.

Geographic mark

On 7 June 2013, the bread was granted a ''Marchio Collettivo Geografico'', an unregistered geographic trademark, after a workgroup consisting of the Chamber of Commerce of Sondrio and various producers in the region established the characteristics of the bread, constituent ingredients, acceptable local substitutes, and conditions for use of the term ''bisciola''. It also specified the ''Regolamento d’uso del Marchio Collettivo "Bisciola"'', which states the licensing terms for the use of the term ''bisciola''. The control plan defined by the group specifies that the producer is responsible for guaranteeing the region of production (always within Sondrio), ingredients employed in production, the means of production, the process of

kneading In cooking (and more specifically baking), kneading is a process in the making of bread or dough, used to mix the ingredients and add strength to the final product. Its importance lies in the mixing of flour with water; when these two ingred ...

the dough, the shape into which it is formed, and the baking process. The packager must ensure that the product is sourced from and packaged in Sondrio, ensure that the baked product conforms to the defined standards and characteristics, verify the presence of required ingredients, and apply labelling identifying the product's source and indicating that it conforms to the ''Regolamento d’uso del Marchio Collettivo "Bisciola"''.

Etymology

Description

Preparation

Geographic mark

See also

References

Further reading