Bruschetta

Bruschetta (/bruːˈskɛtə/,[1] /bruːˈʃɛtə/,[2] Italian pronunciation: [bruˈsketta] (listen)) is an antipasto (starter dish) from Italy consisting of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil and salt. Variations may include toppings of tomato, vegetables, beans, cured meat, or cheese. A popular dish is bruschetta with tomatoes; one recipe popular outside Italy involves basil, fresh tomato, garlic and onion or mozzarella. Bruschetta is usually served as a snack or appetizer. In some countries, the prepared topping is marketed as bruschetta.[3]

Bruschetta
Bruschetta topped with a tomato salad, caramelized balsamic vinegar, and Grana Padano
CourseAntipasto
Place of originItaly
Serving temperatureCold dish
Main ingredientsBread, garlic, olive oil
VariationsTomato, vegetables, beans, cured meat, cheese

In Italy, bruschetta is often prepared using a brustolina grill. In the Abruzzo region of Italy a variation of bruschetta made with a salame called ventricina is served. Raw pork products and spices encased in pig bladder are aged and the paste spread on open slices of bread which are sometimes grilled.[4] The dish was developed as a way of salvaging bread that was going stale.[5] In Tuscany it is called fettunta and it is usually served without toppings, especially in November, to taste the first oil of the season.[6]

History

Bruschetta originated in Italy during 15th century. However, the dish can be traced back to Ancient Rome, when olive growers would bring their olives to a local olive press and taste a sample of their freshly pressed oil using a slice of bread.[7]

Etymology

The noun bruschetta (plural bruschette) comes from the Roman dialect verb bruscare, the equivalent of the Italian word abbrustolire which means 'to toast', or 'to roast over coals'.[8] Toasting bread and soaking it with freshly pressed olive oil is "a practice probably as old as Rome itself".[9][10]

In the United States, the word is sometimes used to refer to a prepared topping, sold in jars and usually tomato-based, instead of the bread, a sense which is unknown in Italian.[10]

  • Bruschetta with chopped tomatoes and basil
  • Bruschetta with olive oil and prosciutto

See also

Notes and references
  1. "bruschetta". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  2. "bruschetta". Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  3. "Bruschetta Trio". Oil and Vinegar company website. 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2015-12-05.
  4. "bruschetta". Hannah International Foods. 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-02-27. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
  5. Mariani, John (1998). The Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink. Broadway Books. New York. p. 45. ISBN 0767901290
  6. "Fettunta Toasted bread with olive oil". Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  7. Sankalan Baidya. "11 Interesting Facts About Bruschetta". Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  8. Ayto, John (2003). An A to Z of Food and Drink. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 44. ISBN 0192803514.
  9. Hazan, Marcella (2011). "Bruschetta—Roman Garlic Bread" in Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, ISBN 0307958302
  10. Hartz-Seeley, Deborah S (August 21, 2008). "The Toast Of Italy: Bruschetta South Florida Chefs Put Their Own Spin on Traditional Dish". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. p. E7.
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