Pan Meino (pan de mej)

Pan Meino, or Pan de Mej, is a traditional Lombard dessert, particularly from the Milan area, typically prepared for All Saints’ Day or during the Christmas period. It is a soft and fragrant cake made with corn flour and wheat flour, butter, and flavored with fennel or anise seeds. Here’s how to prepare them.

Ingredients

• 200 g of 00 flour
• 200 g of fine corn flour
• 150 g of granulated sugar
• 100 g of softened butter
• 80 ml of milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 packet of baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• The grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon of fennel or anise seeds

Preparation

1. First, preheat the oven to 180 °C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, mix the flours with the baking powder and the pinch of salt.
3. In another bowl, cream the softened butter with the sugar until smooth.
4. Add the eggs one at a time to the butter and sugar mixture, mixing well after each addition.
5. Add the lemon zest and fennel or anise seeds, stirring again.
6. Gradually add the dry ingredients (flours, baking powder, and salt) alternating with the milk to the butter mixture, continuing to mix until a homogeneous dough is obtained.
7. Using two spoons, place dollops of dough on the tray, leaving enough space between them.
8. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the Pan Meino are golden.
9. Let the Pan Meino cool on a wire rack before serving.

Trivia

The name “Pan Meino” comes from the Milanese term “meino,” meaning millet flour, the ingredient originally used to prepare this sweet. Over time, millet flour was replaced with corn flour, but the name remained unchanged. These pastries were traditionally offered to the deceased during All Saints’ Day celebrations, using simple ingredients with great symbolic value.