This post is written with apologies to Mrs Admin, who is gluten intolerant. But it needed to be done.
Eating is a very important part of our travels. Sampling the local fare. A big part of savouring the local atmosphere.
Never mind the main course, in Italy the bread is quite capable of stealing the show.
It used to be referred to as the ‘food of poor people’ because it was made with easily obtainable and cheap ingredients, available to all. It could be made at home, following local recipes, often rooted in the history and traditions of each area. It is said that more than 250 different types of bread are made in Italy, each and every region having its own distinct traditional varieties.
In the Northern part of the country soft wheat flour is more common, but in regions such as Lombardia you will find it mixed with rice flour or, in Emilia, with cornmeal. In the central region of Tuscany, you will find the famous pane sciocco, baked without salt: this is considered the best to eat with cold cuts, which are sometimes a little salty.
Sardinia has its own bread, renowned all over Italy: pane carasau. It is also known as carta musica, music paper, because of the sound it makes when eating it, as it is very crunchy.In the interests of research I have been sampling the bread supplies local to where we are travelling. My favourites so far are –
Ciabatta: Italian ciabatta bread. This is a classical type of bread you will find in almost every region. Ciabatta is called that because of its shape which reminds you of a slipper: a “ciabatta” in Italian.- Filoncino: long and soft, quite similar to baguette. It is often topped with sesame seeds or cereals.
- F0caccia: flat bread. My all time favourite, sometimes known as Schiacciata in Tuscany. It is midway between bread and pizza. It varies in taste and ingredients depending on where in Italy you are. I was hooked on the focaccia ligure, made with plenty of olive oil, sea salt and rosemary on top.
- Piadina: this type of bread is typical of the area of Romagna. It is flat, made with wheat flour, olive oil, salt, water and lard. Tastes better than it sounds!
- Rosetta: this seemed to me to be a fairly ordinary light white bread, but made in an interesting shape, roundish with a star or flower shape on top. Seemed a bit French to me.
I have no opinion on Breadsticks. Because they don’t count. They are more suited to lighting fires than eating.