Well written by Kyle Phillips of ... CHRISTMAS MEANS MANY THINGS - it's a religious holiday, but also an opportunity for families to gather, strengthening the ties between the generations. This aspect of the holiday is especially important in parts of Italy that were abandoned by the younger generation during the economic boom of the 1960s, when the unemployed in the provinces moved to the northern cities to take factory jobs. Read more . One of the highlights of the reunion is of course the Christmas dinner, which varies tremendously from place to place; in Tuscany and Emilia it's meat based, featuring, among other things, cappelletti (the Modenese variation on tortellini) in capon broth, and later boiled capon. Desserts tend to be sumptuous, and perhaps Siena's most of all: Panforte, a heavenly mixture of honey, spices, candied fruit, and almonds whose origin stretches back into the mists of time: Some say it was invented in the 1200s by a novitiate nun, Suor Leta, who discovered a mound of sugar, spices and almonds in the bottom of the spice cabinet - mice had chewed holes in the bags, and the precious offerings made by pilgrims returning from the Holy Land were hopelessly mixed. Her first thought was to gather the mess in a bag and bury it, but that sort of waste was a sin. So she stood there, stroking her chin and wondering what to do, when a black cat came into the kitchen and the thought came to her: Put it all on the fire and make yourself something tasty. So she did; the sugar caramelized, the spices amalgamated, and to keep it all from sticking to the pan she stirred in some honey, then the remaining almonds and put the mixture into the oven to let it set. It smelled delicious and she was feeling very pleased with herself, when the cat, who had been rubbing up against her and purring, said, Aren't you going to taste it? Cats don't talk but the Devil does; she dumped the contents of the pan over him and he changed to his true form, vanishing in a foul-smelling puff of smoke. By the time Suor Berta, the mother Superior, got to the kitchen the dessert's heavenly aroma had overcome the devil's stench; curious to know what was powerful enough to overcome the Evil One Berta tasted what was left in the pan... Others say Panforte is older still: An orphan who followed the comet to Baby Jesus tried to give him the crust of bread he had in his pocket; Joseph took it, gave a crumb to one of the birds whose nest was in the rafters overhead, and returned the rest to the boy, whose eyes filled with tears at the thought that his gift was too poor. Then a voice thanked him, and when he returned home to the hovel he shared with his grandmother he found his parents, his mother radiant and his father in burnished armor, while the table was decked for a feast, with sumptuous platters arranged around an exquisite pastry made with almonds, honey and candied fruit... No matter how you look at it, there is something magical about the pan pepato (peppered (i.e. spiced) bread) that developed into panforte. Over the centuries there have been many variations, as new ingredients were discovered or became available. In the 1820s the Parenti bakery introduced a chocolate laced variety that was immensely popular for a time, and is still sold, but now the most popular varieties are Panforte Nero and Panforte Margherita. Panforte nero is, as its name implies, dark, and has an underlying bitter taste conferred by bitter almonds; it's sought out by connoisseurs. Panforte Margherita is light colored and much more delicate, with a dusting of confectioner's sugar; Enrico Righi developed the recipe in 1879 and first offered it to Queen Margerita, who came to see the Palio with King Umberto every year. Most printed recipes for panforte yield industrial quantities - 50 pounds or more. These are more manageable; the quantities for panforte nero are from Il Re Dei Cuochi, published anonymously by Salani in 1885, while theose for Panforte Margherita are from a collection of traditional Tuscan recipes. ...