Paneton Bon Ton

bon ton [French : bon, good + ton, tone]
noun

1. Something regarded as fashionably correct.
2. A sophisticated manner or style.
3. The proper thing to do.

In the Peruvian Paneton world, putting butter on your delicious prize would be considered bon ton. But I like my Paneton the way I like my whisky - neat. Neatly stuffed into my face by way of hands. At this point, I will see your "este gringo no sabe nada peee" and raise you my "a quality Paneton is an experience in itself, which does not require any sort of supplement in order to be fully enjoyed by its own right", and I'll also throw in an "each to their own"... just because.

However I do enjoy a good experiment, and I have certainly experimented combining other foods with the big P. While I will omit the more deplorable combinations I tried, lest you judge me, I will tell you about my experience with Nutella. What seemed like an excellent idea, ended up being a battle of the flavours which Nutella eventually won, so I might as well have been eating it with ordinary bread and the taste would not be considerably different. Hence, Paneton neat wins. (Note: for an interesting Nutella combo you might want to go with this)

Now that we got that out of the way and established the fact that I know my shit, here are some useful tips that work very well for my needs. Or actually just one need: to enjoy a tasty fresh Paneton throughout the week.

1. After opening the packaging, store in fridge. Wrap it up in whatever package it came in or cut it up into slices and put it in Tupperware. Do whatever it takes to make sure there is as little air inside the package as possible. Don’t take this lightly, because prolonged air exposure is the death of a perfectly fresh Paneton.
2. Microwave for 30-60 seconds before eating. I even microwave a fresh one and especially the ones that I store in the fridge. You want to get it to that point where the bread is soft, sticky and warm and the filling (candied/dried fruit, chocolate, whatever) is not too hot. It may take a couple of tries to get the temperature that’s just right for you, but the end result is worth it.

Now you may think there’s not enough space in the fridge to fit a massive chunk of sweet bread pillow. But once you throw out all your other food (keep the proteins, you’ll need those), there will be plenty of space. If you’re not willing to do this and go all the way, then I must admit I find your lack of commitment disturbing and you should leave.