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

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: “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 5.5/10 BE: “I agree, this is very similar – and better – than the Tesco panettone. There’s more peel, and it’s not as sweet, which I appreciate.” Score 7/10 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 AbroadEK: “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

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. 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 3.5/10 EK: “To me, this is a classic: it looks sophisticated, the texture has a nice lightness to it and there are some good, big chunks of fruit. However, the dough itself is a bit bland and I would like more flavour. Overall, it’s pretty good. Score 7/10 EK: “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 3/10EK: “This looks like a giant doughnut; I’m worried about the crust and texture of that cream inside, which stinks. Oh, I don’t like the filling, and the bread tastes artificial. If it didn’t have that weird cream and had some peel, it would be miles better.” Score 4/10 The Italians have traditional cakes for each of their major holidays. Colomba cake is the one that every Italian family eats for Easter. In terms of texture and ingredients, it is actually quite similar to panettone. The biggest difference between the two Italian cakes is the shape: colomba cakes are shaped like doves, to represent Jesus (or for the less religious, love and peace). These Easter cakes are also usually topped with almonds and sugar sprinkles. Many of the same brands mentioned before that produce panettone and pandoro cakes also make colomba. 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: “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