Panettone, the “courtesy gift” that is most “regifted” in Italy, is a national joke akin to the American jokes about fruitcake as the dessert that no one wants to eat. Around the Christmas holiday in Italy the same jokes are made about panettone. Proverbially people try to unload the Christmas cakes that they receive in the most bizarre ways besides passing them on to the next receiver; some reportedly even use it as a weapon in board games.
Nevertheless, panettone is a beloved symbol of Christmas tradition—though not necessarily for eating. The mixed feelings Italians have about it are also because panettone and pandoro have become a symbol of commercialization and the excesses of consumerism. But Christmas cakes are no joke for the Italian economy.
The international market for Italian Christmas cakes like panettone and pandoro and other types of traditional festive confectionery is worth close to one billion euros, artisans association Confartigianato said on Saturday.
It reported that last year the value of the exports of these products amounted to 980 million euros, an increase of 9.7% with respect to the previous year.
The top importer of Italian Christmas cakes and sweet products was France, which snapped up 194 million euros’ worth last year, followed by Germany and the United Kingdom.
On the domestic market, Confartigianato said Italian people are set to spend around 15.9 billion euros on food and drink over the Christmas period.
