(), also known as ''pa amb tomata'' or ''pa amb tomaca'' (all meaning "bread with tomato" in Catalan), is a traditional food of Catalan, Aragonese and Balearic cuisine. is considered a staple of Catalan cuisine and identity. It consists of

bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

, which may or may not be toasted, with optional garlic rubbed over and seasoned with

olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

and topped with fresh rubbed in tomato. It is sometimes used as a vessel for cured ham and other types of cured meats. It is considered one of the typical examples that define the

Mediterranean diet The Mediterranean diet is a concept first proposed in 1975 by the American biologist Ancel Keys and chemist Margaret Keys. The diet took inspiration from the eating habits and traditional food typical of Crete, much of the rest of Greece, and s ...

, extended as a traditional recipe throughout the Catalan Countries, and its preparation has become an iconic ritual of Catalan culture. It is popularly consumed on its own as a snack, as sandwich or a tapa with any meal, from breakfast to dinner.

Preparation

Jamon Iberico on Passeig de Gracia Barcelona

In some Catalan restaurants, the tomato is spread on the bread, while others provide the guests with the ingredients to do the work themselves. The dish is served accompanied with any sorts of

sausage A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs, may be included as fillers or extenders. ...

s (cured botifarres, xoriço, fuet, Iberian ham, etc.), ham,

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range 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 prod ...

s, omelettes, anchovies or other marinated fish, or grilled vegetables like escalivada. In

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

, ("bread with oil") is prepared with tomato called , a specific variety of vine tomatoes, smaller and with a taste that is slightly more intense and sour than normal tomatoes due to the loss of acidity in the tomato. The original base used to be made with toasted slices of ("farmer's bread"), a typical round loaf of wheat bread of a fair size (from , from some in diameter). If the mixture is not pre-made, there is said to be an ideal order in which the ingredients are integrated to yield the best flavour. First, if used, the garlic is rubbed on the bread. Then the same is done with the tomato. Next comes the salt, and lastly the olive oil.

History

The origin of this dish is disputed, as tomato is relatively new to Catalan cuisine (it came from America only after the 15th century). Widely regarded as the

epitome An epitome (; , from ἐπιτέμνειν ''epitemnein'' meaning "to cut short") is a summary or miniature form, or an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment. Epitomacy represents "to the degree of." A ...

of Catalan cuisine and identity, some sources claim it is actually a relatively recent (mid to late 19th century) in all the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Catalan chef Josep Lladonosa i Giró says it was first documented in the 18th century.''La cuina tradicional catalana a l'abast'', pg. 96, Josep Lladonosa i Giró, 2005, Columna Cuina, The cook, born in 1938, remembers his grandmother explaining that her parents used to eat a dish called . With better precision, Catalan cooking historian Nèstor Luján says that the first written reference is from 1884 and, according to his thesis, the recipe would have been created in the rural world during an abundant tomato harvest. People would have used the tomatoes to soften hard and dry bread. The dish shares some similarities with the tomato and olive oil-rubbed '' ħobż biz-Zejt'' of

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

, with the '' pan-bagnat'' of Nice, in the Provence region of France, the tomato-topped version of Italian '' bruschetta''.

Gallery

File:Pa amb tomàquet - 001.jpg, ''Pa amb tomàquet'' File:Pan tumaca cortado.jpg, Tray of ''pa amb tomàquet'' File:Pa amb tomàquet y paletilla de jamón.jpg, With ham (''pernil'') File:Pà amb tomàquet con aceitunas (5945922148).jpg, With olives File:Pa amb tomàquet - Anchoas.jpg, With anchovies File:Sonsos54.JPG, Fried '' sonsos'' with ''pa amb tomàquet'' File:Toastcat viqui.jpg, ''Pa amb tomàquet'' packaged kit File:Pa amb Tomaquet.jpg, Adding olive oil File:Tomato bread catalan - stonesoup.jpg, Squeezed tomato after use

References

External links

Pa amb tomaquet Group on Flickr
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pa amb tomaquet Catalan cuisine Toast dishes

Preparation

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links