|
|
 |
The wealth of Italian breads
|
| Looking at the bread making traditions in Italy is a way to get to know the country from an unusual perspective. The innumerable local bread types, different in every region, are all the fruit of time-honored traditions going back centuries to the days when bread was the main component of most people's daily diet. |
|
|
|
|
Before venturing into the vast world of breads with strange names like michette and filoncini, it would be helpful to define a few general categories. Depending on the type of flour used to make the bread, we find whole-grain, plain and the so-called special breads, which may include such ingredients as butter, lard, olive oil, milk, raisins, various spices and, in certain cases, even honey.
The list goes on to include a cassetta bread (rectangular loaves) and black bread (made from rye flour), as well as the dietetic breads, formulated to be eaten by people with special nutritional needs (people with digestive disorders or diabetes, etc.).
|
|
|
|
The desire to appreciate this particular food product better prompted several local administrations to follow the example of the wine producers and come up with a series of "bread histories", looking at the role of bread in local tradition. One of the most interesting examples regards the part of Tuscany next to the Apuan Alps, a vast area in which bread is often made from some rather "unorthodox" ingredients.
As a matter of fact, in Garfagnana, during years marked by low grain production, the bread was made from potatoes, a tradition that has continued until the present day. In addition to the Garfagnino bread, the other specialty of this zone is called Moroccan bread, halfway between regular and focaccia bread, made from cornmeal and topped with olive oil, hot peppers and rosemary.
|
|
|
|
A typical focaccia of the Tuscan region is schiacciata, although, thanks to the vivacious creativity of the other local cultures, you can find fascinating versions of it throughout the rest of Italy.
Fugassa, the version from Genoa (and found throughout Liguria, which is in the north-west of Italy) is a veritable hymn to fine eating. Soft inside and crisp on the outside, fugassa is more than a bread, it's a whole lifestyle. The people of Liguria used to eat it with figs as a complete meal, but it is equally delicious with salami from the Val Polcevera area made with natural intestine skins.
In Emilia Romagna the focaccia changes its name, being referred to as a crescente or gnocco. Another typical local characteristic is the choice of ingredients sprinkled over the top or baked into the breads, generally chunks of prosciutto or sausage.
|
|
|
|
When it comes to Italian breads, an enormous contribution has been made by this country's two major islands. The traditional breads of Sardinia tend to be hard and dry and they are prepared only once a week. This has given rise to what's known as spianate, with a round shape and soft texture, and pane carasau, a crisp, very thin bread that is made from barley flour and can be conserved for weeks at a time thanks to its very low water content. Pane civraxiu, a very large loaf with a very aromatic body, is typical of the southern part of the island, although it is currently produced throughout Sardinia. Plus there is a thriving tradition of votive breads prepared for New Year, Palm Sunday and during the course of commemorations for the dead.
Moving on to Sicily, a land that over the centuries has been influenced by cultures from all around the Mediterranean, we would like to mention Castelvetrano bread, with its hard, dark crust sprinkled with sesame seeds. One of the most special things about this bread is the way it's made with two different kinds of flour, durum wheat and tumminìa. The second one is a local variety that imbues Castelvetrano with its unmistakable nutty, toasted flavor.
|
|
|
|
In the regional cuisine of Italy, bread often serves as a main ingredient of recipes that have been formulated to make good use of leftovers. This is certainly the case with canederli from the Upper Adige (Tyrolean) part of the north of Italy. These are little dumplings made with dry bread revived with milk and enriched with spinach, cheese, onion and chicken giblets. They are cooked in broth. Another such provident dish is pan cotto, a multiform peasant soup found throughout Italy, variously enhanced with vegetables and the less desirable or excessively tough parts of a pig.
We could devote an entire separate chapter to the "sweet breads", in which the baker's art is applied to simple, peasant products. This is how pane all'uva (grape bread) developed, rendered crisp and succulent by the presence of whole grapes. In addition there is pane con le mandorle (almond bread), pane con le noci (nut bread) and all the other baked goods in which the basic flour and leavening agent have been enhanced by simple ingredients like cooked must or honey, depending on seasonal availability.
We would like to conclude this brief survey of Italy's bread scene with a recipe for bruschetta, one of the best ways to enjoy the delights of that time-honored, classic marriage of bread and extra-virgin olive oil. To prepare a good bruschetta, if possible the bread should be a rustic variety and baked in a wood-fired oven. A couple of excellent candidates would be either pane toscano sciocco, i.e. unsalted Tuscan bread, or altamura bread, made with the best durum wheat flour. The bread is cut into thick slices and rendered crisp over the grill (in the absence of which a toaster or oven will do fine). Next the bruschetta is flavored by scraping it with plenty of garlic and topping it off with a dribble of extra-virgin olive oil that fuses all the flavors. This is the basic bruschetta, to which one may add whatever ingredients one desires: from chicken liver to little cubes of tomato, from sautéed sweet peppers to canned anchovies. A real taste treat to be enjoyed in an informal context together with friends, accompanied by a hearty red wine, something like a Morellino di Scansano.
|
|
|
|
|
