Panforte di Siena

Panforte di Siena is a baked confectionery produced within the province of Siena, made by kneading and baking a dough of flour, candied fruit, dried fruit, sugars, honey, and spices. It is produced in two distinct types: a white type topped with caster sugar and a dark type topped with a spice mixture, each governed by separate ingredient requirements.

About this designation

Registered as a PGI on 28 January 2010 under file number PGI-IT-0795 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013973), Panforte di Siena is produced exclusively within the entire administrative territory of the province of Siena, Italy. The specification defines two types. The white type requires wheat flour type 0 at between 14 % and 18 % of the dough, whole unpeeled sweet almonds at not less than 18 %, diced candied citron and candied orange peel together at between 35 % and 45 % of the dough (with candied citron comprising at least 25 % of the candied fruit used), sugars at between 18 % and 23 %, wildflower (millefiori) honey at between 2 % and 5 %, and nutmeg and cinnamon at between 0,3 % and 1,5 %. The dark type requires wheat flour type 0 at between 8 % and 18 %, whole unpeeled sweet almonds at not less than 18 %, diced candied melon and candied orange peel at between 35 % and 45 % (with candied melon comprising at least 40 % of the candied fruit used), sugars at between 18 % and 23 %, and nutmeg, cinnamon, and sweet pepper at between 0,6 % and 5 %. No other ingredients, additives, colourings, or preservatives are permitted in the white type. Maximum humidity for the finished product is 15 %. The product may be round or rectangular when sold whole, or sold in segments or small squares, with height between 14 and 45 mm.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PGI on 28 January 2010 under file number PGI-IT-0795, eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013973.
• The specification permits no other ingredients, additives, colourings, or preservatives beyond those listed for the white type.
• The white type requires wildflower (millefiori) honey; the dark type specification includes no honey requirement.
• White panforte is recorded as first made in 1879, in honour of Queen Margherita of Savoy's visit to Siena's Palio horse race.

Tasting notes

Tuscan Christmas dense fruit-and-nut cake from Siena (medieval origin), packed with candied citrus peel, almonds, hazelnuts, honey, sugar, spices (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, pepper, coriander). Two main types — Margherita (white-sugar topped) and Nero (darker, more spiced). Dense chewy texture, intensely sweet-spiced complex flavor.

HoReCa use

Christmas dessert in Tuscan restaurants, sliced thinly with Vin Santo, on cheese boards, and in gift hampers.

Packaging

• whole-cake-100g-gift-box
• whole-cake-250g-gift-box
• whole-cake-500g-gift-box
• whole-cake-1kg-gift-box
• sliced-vacuum-150g

Seasonality