Panellets
Catalan marzipan-and-pine-nut sweets eaten on All Saints' Day (Tots Sants, 1 November). Bite-sized, rolled in pine nuts and baked.
Panellets are the small marzipan sweets Catalans eat on Tots Sants (All Saints' Day, 1 November) as part of the Castanyada festival. The dough is ground almond, sugar, egg and a little potato or sweet potato to bind it. The classic version (panellets de pinyons) gets rolled in pine nuts before baking; other flavours include coffee, coconut, chocolate, candied fruit and quince. Each sweet is a small bite, eaten by the handful with a glass of moscatel or sweet wine. Bakeries (forn) display them by the kilo from mid-October to early November; outside that window they're hard to find, which is part of the tradition.
How it's served
Bite-sized, room temperature, alongside roasted chestnuts (castanyes), sweet potatoes (moniatos) and a glass of moscatel wine. The full Castanyada spread includes panellets, chestnuts, sweet potato and wine; eaten at home with family on the eve of All Saints' Day or the day itself.
Regional variation
Almost every Catalan bakery makes a slightly different panellet. Variations are usually in the coating (pine nuts, almonds, coconut, coffee glaze, chocolate dip) rather than the marzipan base, which stays consistent. The pine-nut version (de pinyons) is the canonical reference.
- Origin
- Catalonia
- Etymology
- Diminutive of the Catalan pa ('bread'); literally 'little breads.'
Frequently asked
What are panellets?
Small Catalan marzipan sweets eaten on All Saints' Day (Tots Sants, 1 November). Made from ground almond, sugar, egg and a touch of potato or sweet potato. The classic version is rolled in pine nuts; other flavours include coffee, coconut, chocolate and quince. Bite-sized, eaten by the handful.
When do Catalans eat panellets?
On Tots Sants (All Saints' Day, 1 November) and the surrounding days, as part of the Castanyada festival. Bakeries display them from mid-October to early November; outside that window they're rare. The seasonal restriction is part of the tradition. Eaten alongside roasted chestnuts and a glass of moscatel.
What is the Castanyada?
A Catalan All Saints' Day festival centred on roasted chestnuts (castanyes), sweet potatoes (moniatos) and panellets, eaten on the night of 31 October or 1 November. The seasonal predecessor of Halloween in Catalonia, with a different flavour but a similar 'autumn end-of-harvest' impulse.
Related terms
- Mona de PasquaCatalan Easter cake gifted by godparents to their godchildren. Traditionally a sweet bread with hard-boiled eggs; modern versions are elaborate chocolate sculptures.
- TurrónSpanish almond nougat eaten at Christmas. Two main styles: Jijona (soft, blended) and Alicante (hard, with whole almonds).
- Crema catalanaCatalan custard with a crackable burnt-sugar crust, flavoured with cinnamon and lemon. Not a crème brûlée.