Typical Christmas sweets and pairings with tea: Panettone, Pandoro and...Cartellate

Never thought of pairing tea with typical Christmas desserts?

We tried it! If you are a Tea Nerd, we are sure you will appreciate our experiments with fine teas paired with panettone, pandoro, and even cartellate!

It is the dawn of a new winter, and yet beyond the dull days, the muted noises of a crowd rushing, moments that seem empty every year, here are crumbs of joy, hope, and light. It is still Christmas, and still time to welcome the Other and ourselves, to give gestures that transcend physicality and erect stable monuments in the heart. 

Terza Luna has thought of proposing pairings to experience the table as a meeting place for affections, smiles, and memories, to take you on a journey through the flavors of tradition and the scents of distant lands. As a completion, desserts are a constant element of endless meals.

For this reason, we have thought of possible pairings between typical Christmas desserts and our rare teas available online. Here are some in particular:

Panettone and Black Tea

Originally from Lombardy, panettone is a symbolic and historic sweet of Italian Christmas tradition. Some legends say it was born by mistake: on Christmas Eve, at the court of Ludovico il Moro, the cook burned the dessert he had prepared and, to remedy the mishap, a scullery boy named Toni took a piece of yeast, which he kneaded with flour, butter, sugar, eggs, citron peel, and raisins. Thus, a humble sweet was born, still appreciated today. We recommend pairing it with a black tea with malty and aromatic notes: the nuances of burnt caramel, cocoa, and eucalyptus of a fine Yunnan D'Or blend well with the fruity and gentle flavors of panettone, without contrasting them. 

Pandoro and Darjeeling

Preferred by the little ones and the sweet-toothed, Pandoro is a pleasant treat for the palate. Inspired by an ancient recipe from the Veneto tradition, it was born in Verona on October 14, 1884, and since then it has been an essential part of Italian tables during the Christmas holidays. We believe that the floral, delicate, and clean notes of a Darjeeling First Flush or a Chinese jasmine green tea, like the sweeter and fruitier notes of a Darjeeling Second Flush, harmonize well with the buttery and sugary flavor of this dessert. A true delight. 

Cartellate and Rock Oolong

Emblem and cornerstone of the Apulian tradition, a common thread that unites and fills generational diversities, with advice and secrets passed down from mother to daughter, cartellate are a typical Christmas dessert. The origins of this exquisite delight, which resembles a rose in arabesque, date back to the 6th century B.C., to which belongs a rock painting found in Bari. We recommend enjoying them with a good rock oolong tea: the mineral and aromatic notes of dark chocolate, wood, and violets of the Da Hong Pao blend pleasantly with the spicy and honeyed flavors of the cartellate, creating a union, a dance of flavors almost necessary. 

Now all that's left is for you to experiment!

Happy Holidays
 

Posted by Terza Luna