Candied Fruits and Panettone

Candied fruits for panettone are one of the delights of Christmas: both young and old adore these colourful treats that adorn the panettone, the sweet symbol of the festivities. But what are they and how are candied fruits made? Candied fruits are, broadly speaking, pieces of fruit processed by osmosis, that is, reducing their water content and increasing their sugar content to over 70%. The candied fruit process is a long and ancient one, and some masters of the pastry art have inherited the ability to make candied fruits artisanally; however, in most cases, industrially produced ones are used. For artisanal panettone, the pastry chef makes the candied fruits with a manual process: the fruit, usually citron, orange, and lemon, is immersed in a tank and covered with syrup. Here the osmosis process begins, and after a few days, everything is heated to evaporate the water. This operation is repeated several times until the necessary amount of sugar is reached.

Artisanal candied fruits for panettone are larger than industrial ones and are recognised for their rich and intense flavour: they are mixed into the panettone dough, and in the end, the result will be a superior product. The industrial procedure is very similar, but, of course, these processes are carried out on a larger scale, with automation: the pieces of fruit are almost all the same size, and their flavour is less intense. This does not mean that industrial candied fruits are less good, but the yield is certainly different. Quality candied fruits for panettone maintain the unique and recognisable flavour of the fruit: unfortunately, sometimes, lower quality processing does not allow one to distinguish one candied fruit from another, and this is a sign of less than excellent quality.