Panettone[a] is an Italian type of sweet bread and fruitcake, originally from Milan, Italy, usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year in Western, Southern, and Southeastern Europe, as well as in South America, Eritrea,[6] Australia, the United States, and Canada.

[7] It has a cupola shape, which extends from a cylindrical base and is usually about 12–15 centimetres (4+1⁄2–6 inches) high for a panettone weighing one kilogram (two pounds).

[9] It is possibly mentioned in a contemporary recipe book written by Italian Bartolomeo Scappi, personal chef to popes and emperors during the time of Charles V. The oldest and most certain attestation of the panettone is found in a register of expenses of the Borromeo college of Pavia in 1599: on 23 December of that year in the list of courses provided for Christmas lunch, costs also appear for 5 pounds of butter, 2 pounds of raisins and 3 ounces of spices given to the baker to make 13 "loaves" to be given to college students on Christmas Day.

[10] The first recorded association of panettone with Christmas can be found in the Italian writings of the 18th century illuminist Pietro Verri.

[11] In the early 20th century, two enterprising Milanese bakers began to produce panettone in large quantities for the rest of Italy.

[citation needed] Panettone is widely available in South America, including in Argentina, Brazil, Chile (see: pan de Pascua), Peru, Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Ecuador.