Acquacotta (;

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

for "cooked water") is a hot

broth Broth, also known as bouillon (), is a savory liquid made of water in which meat, fish or vegetables have been simmered for a short period of time. It can be eaten alone, but it is most commonly used to prepare other dishes, such as soups, ...

-based

bread soup Bread soup is a simple soup that mainly consists of stale bread. Variations exist in many countries, and it is often eaten during Lent. Both brown and white bread may be used. The basis for bread soup is traditionally either meat soup or veget ...

Italian cuisine Italian cuisine (, ) is a Mediterranean cuisine#CITEREFDavid1988, David 1988, Introduction, pp.101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes and List of cooking techniques, cooking techniques developed across the Italian Peninsula and late ...

that was originally a

peasant food Peasant foods are dishes eaten by peasants, made from accessible and inexpensive ingredients. In many historical periods, peasant foods have been stigmatized. They may use ingredients, such as offal and less-tender cuts of meat, which are not ...

. Its preparation and consumption dates back to

ancient history Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cove ...

, and it originated in the coastal area known as the

Maremma The Maremma (, ; from Latin , "maritime and) is a coastal area of western central Italy, bordering the Tyrrhenian Sea. It includes much of south-western Tuscany and part of northern Lazio. It was formerly mostly marshland, often malarial, bu ...

in southern

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

and northern

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. The dish was invented in part as a means to make hardened, stale bread edible. In contemporary times, ingredients can vary, and additional ingredients are sometimes used. Variations of the dish include ''aquacotta con funghi'' and ''aquacotta con peperoni''.

History

Acquacotta is a simple traditional dish originating in the coastal region of Italy known as

, which spans the southern half of Tuscany's coast and runs into northern

. The word "acquacotta" means "cooked water" in the

Italian language Italian (''italiano'' or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. Together with Sardinian, Italian is the least divergent language from Latin. Spoken by about 85 m ...

. It was originally a

, and has been described as an ancient dish, the recipe of which was derived in part by people who lived in the Tuscan forest working as colliers ( charcoal makers), who were typically very poor, being "traditionally among the poorest of people". It was also prepared and consumed by farmers and shepherds in the Maremma area. Historically, the soup was sometimes served as an

antipasto Antipasto (plural antipasti) is the traditional first course of a formal Italian meal. Usually made of bite-size small portions and served on a platter from which everyone serves themselves, the purpose of antipasti is to stimulate the appeti ...

dish, the first course in an Italian meal. It remains a popular dish in Maremma and throughout Italy. Acquacotta was invented in part as a means to make stale, hardened bread edible. People that worked away from home for significant periods of time, such as woodcutters and shepherds, would bring bread and other foods with them (such as

pancetta Pancetta () is a salt-cured pork belly meat product in a category known as salume. In Italy, it is often used to add depth to soups and pastas. (in Italian). Uses For cooking, it is often cut into cubes (''cubetti di pancetta''). In Italy, ...

and

salt cod Dried and salted cod, sometimes referred to as salt cod or saltfish or salt dolly, is cod which has been preserved by drying after salting. Cod which has been dried without the addition of salt is stockfish. Salt cod was long a major export o ...

) to hold them over. Acquacotta was prepared and used to marinate the stale bread, thus softening it. A legend about acquacotta exists in relation to the concept of stone soup, which is generally based upon a premise of a poor traveler who arrived at a village having only a stone, but convinced the villagers to add ingredients to his stone soup, creating acquacotta; variations of the legend exist.

Ingredients

Historically, acquacotta's primary ingredients were water, stale bread, onion, tomato and olive oil, along with various vegetables and

leftover Leftovers are surplus foods remaining unconsumed at the end of a meal, which may be put in containers with the intention of eating later. Inedible remains like bones are considered ''waste'', not leftovers. Depending on the situation, the amoun ...

foods that may have been available. In the earlier 1800s, some preparations used '' agresto'', a juice derived from half-ripened grapes, in place of tomatoes, which were not a common food in Italy prior to "the latter decades of the nineteenth century".

In contemporary times

Contemporary preparations of acquacotta may use stale, fresh, or toasted bread, and can include additional ingredients such as vegetable broth, eggs, cheeses such as

Parmigiano-Reggiano Parmesan ( it, Parmigiano Reggiano; ) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cows’ milk and aged at least 12 months. It is named after two of the areas which produce it, the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (''Parmigiano'' i ...

and pecorino Toscano, celery, garlic, basil, beans such as

cannellini bean The kidney bean is a variety of the common bean ('' Phaseolus vulgaris''). It resembles a human kidney and thus is named after such. Red kidney beans should not be confused with other red beans, such as adzuki beans. Classification There ar ...

s, cabbage, kale, lemon juice, salt, pepper, potatoes and others. Some versions may use edible mushrooms such as porcini, wild herbs, and leaf vegetables and greens such as arugula, endive, mint, chard,

chicory Common chicory ('' Cichorium intybus'') is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae, usually with bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink. Native to the Old World, it has been introduced to North America and Austra ...

, dandelion greens, watercress, valerian and others. As the greens boil down, they contribute to the broth's flavor. The dish may be topped with a poached egg. Contemporary versions may be prepared in advance from a few hours to a day, stored in a cold place or refrigerated, and then reheated prior to serving. It can also be preserved by freezing.

Variations

''Acquacotta con funghi'' is an aquacotta soup variation that uses

porcini ''Boletus edulis'' (English: cep, penny bun, porcino or porcini) is a basidiomycete fungus, and the type species of the genus ''Boletus''. Widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere across Europe, Asia, and North America, it does not occu ...

mushrooms as a primary ingredient. Additional ingredients include bread, stock or water, tomato ''conserva'', Parmesan cheese, eggs, '' mentuccia'', wild mint, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. This variation's flavor and aroma has been described as based upon the porcini mushrooms that are used; parsley may also be used. ''Acquacotta con peperoni'' is an aquacotta soup variation that includes celery, red pepper and garlic.

Notes

References

External links

Acquacotta

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