Documents from 1205 show that panforte was paid to the monks and nuns of a local Italian monastery as a tax that was due on the seventh of February that year.
Literally, panforte means "strong bread", which refers to the spicy flavour. The original name of panforte was "panpepato" (peppered bread), due to the strong pepper used in the cake.
This is my version that combines five of my most treasured spices and ingredients - ingredients that started global trade - black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, oranges and chocolate.
The cake contains whisky, sugar and chillies as well; ingredients that also drove the ancient traders to travel to the other side of the globe.
Easy Gluten Free and Vegan options
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