Pionono

Pionono
Piononos from Santa Fe, Spain
TypePastry
Place of originSpain

Pionono, sometimes spelled pianono in the Philippines, describes different sweet or savory pastries from Granada, Spain, the Philippines, South America, and the Caribbean. They are named after Pope Pius IX's name in Italian, Pío Nono.[1][2]

History

Piononos originated in Spain with the pastry chef Ceferino Isla, that in 1897, created a pastry shop in Santa Fe, in Granada with the name of Casa Ysla. With motif of the pope Pius IX, he made a sweet pastry with his name.[3][4][5]

In 1916, Pedro Galatino gave a taste of the pastry to the king Alfonso XIII, who, reportedly, liked it so much he gave Casa Ysla the title of official suppliers of the Casa Real. The royal crown was added to the logo of the Casa, and was removed during the II Republic.[3][6]

By country

Spain

Spanish piononos are small pastries traditional in Santa Fe, a small town adjacent to the city of Granada, Spain, which is otherwise known primarily for the Capitulations of Santa Fe between Columbus and the Catholic Monarchs.[7] A pionono has two parts: a thin layer of pastry rolled into a cylinder, drenched with different kinds of syrup which give the pionono a sweet and pleasant texture, and crowned with toasted cream. It is typically eaten in one or two bites.

Philippines

Ube macapuno pionono from the Philipenes

In the Philippines, pionono is more commonly spelled as pianono. It is a rolled sponge cake and is more accurately a type of jelly roll. It consists of a layer of pastry made from eggs, sugar, and sifted flour baked in a sheet. Once cooled, jelly or other types of filling is spread over the pastry. It is then rolled from one end to the other. Its most common traditional filling is simply sugar and butter (or margarine), similar to the other forms of the Filipino mamón (sponge cakes). Modern versions, however, are commonly frosted and can include a variety of fillings.[8][9] There is a type called Brazo de Mercedes.

Sweet Argentine piononos with dulce de leche

Argentina

In Argentina, piononos are made with a spongeous mass with sugar, butter and flour. The base can be used to make both sweet and salty pastries, with multiple ingredients such as dulce de leche or ham and cheese. While similar to other Latin American countries, Argentinian piononos are notoriously more versatile and popular internationally.[6]

Latin America and Cuba

In various Latin American countries such as Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba and Peru, piononos are prepared using a dough made of flour, eggs, and sugar, which is baked in a thin sheet then rolled around a filling of dulce de leche sometimes with walnuts, or fruits like strawberries with chantilly cream, or in the case of savory piononos with cured ham, cheese, tomato and mayonnaise, or a savory salad, such as ham salad with asparagus and lettuce, chicken salad or even tuna. In Uruguay a similar preparation called massini is not rolled and its dough is filled in between with whipped cream and covered with burnt yolks.

Puerto Rico (U.S.)

In Puerto Rico, piononos are prepared using ripe plantains as the "bread" around a savory filling. Plantains are sliced length wise and fried to make it more pliable to wrap around the filling. Picadillo, seafood, lunch meat, or vegetables topped with cheese are typical fillings; the whole sandwich is dipped in a batter made from flour and eggs and then deep-fried, or baked with no batter.

See also

References

  1. ^ Fenix, Mickey (28 August 2014). "'Bibingka,' 'monay,' 'escandaloza' and other curious names of Philippine baked goodies". Inquirer.net. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  2. ^ Ocampo, Ambeth R. (9 January 2015). "From Pius IX to 'Pio Nono'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b Ruiz, Adrián (27 July 2022). "El origen español del 'pionono', el dulce con nombre de Papa que arrasa en Internet". elEconomista.es (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  4. ^ "La historia de Pastelerías Casa Isla, unida a su principal dulce, el Pionono" (in Spanish). Casa Ysla. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  5. ^ "¡Curioso!: esta es la historia del pionono y su llamativo vínculo con la iglesia". Ambito. 11 February 2024. Archived from the original on 18 May 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  6. ^ a b "Pionono: historia de un infaltable en la mesa navideña". SaberSalir (in Spanish). 6 December 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  7. ^ "Pueblos de Granada: Santa Fe". turgranada.es. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2018. Santa Fe is known as the 'Hispanic cradle'. It was the town where the Reconquista culminated and where the Capitulations of Santa Fe were signed, a treaty securing the funding for the journey which led to the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, the explorer from Genoa.
  8. ^ "Pianono". Ang Sarap. 28 July 2017. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  9. ^ "Pianono (Filipino Sponge Cake Roll)". Kawaling Pinoy. 23 April 2018. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.