On the Christmas table of Italians 33 million pandoro and panettone cakes are arriving

The countdown is on, there are only five days to Christmas Eve dinner, and tons of sweets are about to pour onto the tables of Italians. How many, exactly, has the Italian Food Union calculated. Starting with the symbols par excellence of Christmas, panettone and pandoro: in December, the association of food processing industrialists estimates, we will buy over 33 million pieces. In the eternal challenge between the two protagonists of the Made in Italy festive table, victory goes to pandoro, chosen by 52.6% of consumers. Panettone and pandoro are also ambassadors of the Italian spirit in the world: in 2024 exports reached 13,468 tons, worth 113 million euros, with Europe - in particular France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and the United Kingdom - as the leading market, followed by the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil and Argentina.

Of nougat, on the other hand, we will buy 1,600 tonnes, or 25 per cent of annual consumption. While between bars and pralines we are going to consume 18 thousand tonnes of chocolate. Italian exports of cocoa products have also grown, by 4.9% in 2024, totalling 414,940 tonnes.

On Christmas tables there is of course no shortage of pasta, with an average consumption that Unionfood estimates at 1.5 kg per head, around 15 dishes per person. Between ravioli, cannelloni, lasagne, tortellini and spaghetti, each region preserves its own traditions, but pasta is never missing from holiday menus. Fish, including frozen fish, is a must at Christmas Eve dinner: 8,200 tonnes of fish are consumed in December, amounting to one or two portions per person. And then there are sweets, with ready-made cake bases, which record 200 thousand packages sold, symbolising the homemade creativity of the festive season. In December, 33 thousand tonnes of biscuits are also bought for slow holiday breakfasts, those to be eaten all together. And it is not just finished products that are bought: there is a growing interest in ready-made bases for cakes and baked preparations, with around 200 thousand packages sold.

A great deal, of what we put on the table, is produced by the Made in Italy processing industry, which in 2024 - Unionfood recalls - produced 3.5 million tonnes of pasta, 1.5 million tonnes of bakery and confectionery products and over 380 thousand tonnes of cocoa and chocolate. "The festive season enhances the best of our food tradition," says Mario Piccialuti, director general of Unionfood, "thanks to the work of Italian companies, recipes and traditions born in the territories have become national and now global heritage.