Which spices are used most in Italian baking?

Italians love to eat, and they love to cook and bake. While they are probably best known for their sauces and pastas, we cannot forget the wonderful breads and cakes they bake with a creative use of flour and spices.

Since the time of the Roman Empire, and probably before, Italians have been occupied at their communal ovens. They began by creating wonderful breads to be shared at home by the whole family. Then loaves that could withstand travel were specifically baked to be taken by soldiers and sailors on their missions. From there, bakers went on to refine the baking process into devising wonderful desserts. These desserts are still found in Italy and among Italian Americans today.

Because of the use of spices, Italian desserts manage to taste sweet without containing a lot of sugar. Italians use a lot of anise in their baking. Anise is a spice that tastes like licorice. Like many herbs and spices, it has medicinal as well as flavorful properties. At the end of a meal, it was and still is considered good for the digestion to have a little piece of cake flavored with anise. That cake might also contain dried fruits and nuts when they were available, as with the seasonal favorite, panettone.

Once explorers came back from their Eastern forays with exotic spices such as cinnamon, cloves, mace, coriander, and nutmeg, these began to be incorporated into Italian baking. Several of these are often used together to enhance the flavor of a cheesecake or some cannoli. Individually, they are often used as whole fresh seeds or cloves. Italians are not so ready to open a jar of dried spice and sprinkle but like to get the full flavor.

Italian baking has a long and interesting history, and spices such as anise, nutmeg, cloves, mace, and cinnamon have contributed to the taste we enjoy today.