Verified in Bologna.
Certosino di Bologna is a signature dish of Italy; we have verified places to eat it in Bologna. Start with where to eat Certosino di Bologna in Bologna.
Certosino di Bologna is the city's Christmas spice cake: a dense honey-and-almond loaf studded with candied citron, pine nuts, pinoli and dark chocolate, glazed with honey and aged a fortnight before slicing.
Certosino, also called panone in dialect, takes its name from the Certosa di Bologna monastery, where the Carthusian monks baked it from the 14th century onward as a Christmas alms-loaf for the city's poor. The recipe codified in the 16th century: a dense flour-honey-spice base with candied citron, pinoli, almonds and dark chocolate, baked low and aged at least two weeks before cutting. The Confraternita del Certosino was founded in 1997 to defend the canonical recipe; Atti, Paolo Atti & Figli and Pasticceria Maccaferri all bake it from late November to Epiphany. The cake keeps two months wrapped; one slice with espresso closes a Bolognese Christmas lunch.
Where to eat in Bologna:
Where to eat Certosino di Bologna in Bologna: the editor picks
Day trip · 10 hours
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Enjoy a fun pasta cooking class in a local home with a certified home cook. Learn local recipes and taste everything you make with some delicious wine.
