Bruschetta (, , ) is 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 ...
(starter dish) from
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
consisting of
grilled bread rubbed with
garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion and Chinese onion. It is native to South Asia, Central Asia and northeas ...
and topped with
olive oil
Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: ...
and salt. Variations may include toppings of
tomato
The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...
, vegetables, beans, cured meat, or
cheese
Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During productio ...
. In Italy, bruschetta is often prepared using a
brustolina
A brustolina is a grill which fits over a gas burner on a hob. It consists of a square sheet of metal with holes punched in itbasil
Basil (, ; ''Ocimum basilicum'' , also called great basil, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae (mints). It is a tender plant, and is used in cuisines worldwide. In Western cuisine, the generic term "basil" refers to the variety also k ...
, fresh tomato, garlic and onion or
mozzarella
Mozzarella (, ; nap, muzzarella ) is a southern Italian cheese traditionally made from Italian buffalo's milk by the pasta filata method.
Fresh mozzarella is generally white but when seasoned it turns to a light yellow depending on the anim ...
. Bruschetta is usually served as a snack or
appetizer
An hors d'oeuvre ( ; french: hors-d'œuvre ), appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the m ...
. In some countries, the prepared topping is marketed as bruschetta.
In the
Abruzzo
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region of Italy a variation of bruschetta made with a salame called
ventricina
Ventricina is a pork sausage commonly found in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is similar to certain luncheon meats, included in the category English-speakers from the United States refer to as "cold cuts". It is traditionally made using ...
is served. Raw
pork
Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE.
Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved ...
products and spices encased in
pig bladder
Pig bladder (also pig's bladder) is the urinary bladder of a domestic pig, similar to the human urinary bladder. Today, this hollow organ has various applications in medicine, and in traditional cuisines and customs. Historically, the pig blad ...
are aged and the paste spread on open slices of bread which are sometimes grilled. The dish was developed as a way of salvaging bread that was going stale.
In
Tuscany
it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman)
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it is called ''fettunta'' and it is usually served without toppings, especially in November, to taste the first oil of the season.
History
Bruschetta originated in Italy during the 15th century. However, the dish can be traced back to
Ancient Rome
In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom ...
, 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.
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'. Toasting bread and soaking it with freshly pressed olive oil is "a practice probably as old as Rome itself".
[ Hazan, Marcella (2011). "Bruschetta—Roman Garlic Bread" in ''Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking'', ]
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.
prosciutto
''Prosciutto crudo'', in English often shortened to prosciutto ( , ), is Italian uncooked, unsmoked, and dry-cured ham. ''Prosciutto crudo'' is usually served thinly sliced.
Several regions in Italy have their own variations of ''prosciutto crud ...
See also
*
Garlic bread
*
Crostini
*
Crouton
A crouton is a piece of rebaked bread, often cubed and seasoned. Croutons are used to add texture and flavor to salads—notably the Caesar salad— or eaten as a snack food.
Etymology
The word crouton is derived from the French ''croûton' ...
*
List of bread dishes
This is a list of bread dishes and foods, which use bread as a primary ingredient. Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history it has been popular around the world and is one of ...
*
List of toast dishes
Toast is sliced bread that has been browned by exposure to radiant heat. It appears as a main ingredient in many dishes, often as a base on which other food is served.
Toast dishes
* Avocado toast – mashed avocado on toast. A variety of a ...
*
Pa amb tomàquet
''Pa amb tomàquet'' () ("Bread with tomato"), is a traditional food of Catalan, Aragonese and Balearic cuisine . ''Pa amb tomàquet'' is considered a staple of Catalan cuisine and identity. While considered a signature toast dish in the Catalan ...
, a similar dish in
Catalan cuisine
Catalan cuisine is the cuisine from Catalonia. It may also refer to the shared cuisine of Northern Catalonia and Andorra, the second of which has a similar cuisine to that of the neighbouring Alt Urgell and Cerdanya '' comarques'' and which ...
Notes and references
External links
Food Timeline: Bruschetta & Garlic Bread
{{Tomatoes
Italian cuisine
Appetizers
Bread dishes
Toast dishes
Cuisine of Abruzzo