ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS STARTERS IN ITALY

The word “bruschetta” (pronounced broo-skett-ah) has its origins in central Italy, and it means like “toasted bread”. Now, we know that many chefs and different cultures have invented different types of bruschettas of which many aren’t known at all, or just not popular in Italy. 

We’ve kept a few traditional Italian bruschetta recipes as well as we’ve added some that are popular around the world. You can create a great bruschetta duet or bruschetta trio with these recipes if you’re expecting guests, or just for the family.

Toasting the bread for Bruschetta

Toasting the bread on the grill gives it a particular fragrance, but with an oven or a broiler, you can obtain the same good result.

It’s believed that this poor man’s food was born as a snack for sharecroppers and farmers working in the fields,  It was prepared with homemade, sometimes stale, bread and flavored with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and tomato.

These are the basic ingredients of bruschetta. However, today the ways to prepare it and variations in circulation are truly endless. If we’re checking the traditional bruschetta recipe, that, like every other type of traditional Italian food, is really simple.

For proper preparation of bruschetta, it is necessary to slightly grill the surface of the bread, taking care that it remains soft inside. Tuscan bread, with its large loaf and often square form, lends itself particularly well because it can be easily cut into slices. So for a real Bruschetta Toscana, this bread type would be the best option.

The slices for a bruschetta should be fairly thick, surrounded by a quite hard but crunchy crust, with a soft, white crumb, and small and regular cavities (suitable to absorb the oil). These, once grilled, although well seasoned with oil, will be stiff and easily manageable.

It’s a bread that stays good for a long time and so it is ideal to be used to prepare this dish, even if it’s not freshly baked. If you consider that in the past, especially in very poor rural areas of Italy, often one had little more than this, it is understandable how bruschetta often became a full dinner and not just a snack or appetizer.

Bruschetta seasoning – Bruschetta ingredients

Let’s talk about garlic. Remember that it is absolutely forbidden to overuse it. One clove is enough for more than one slice and according to Tuscan custom, you just pass it on the borders of the warm bread. So the garlic should not be used as a cream or powder, as is often the US habit.

Bruschetta’s main seasoning is a very good extra virgin olive oil. Any lesser quality oil is not suitable. With this said the bruschetta cost is really low, as the basic ingredients are just olive oil, salt, tomato, basil, and garlic (not necessary).

However, if you want to create a bruschetta duet or bruschetta trio for serving, and you choose some more interesting recipes, obviously the bruschetta cost will go up.

The oil fragrances vary according to the area of origin, as well as its texture, density, and acidity. Consider trying the oil from Puglia, Sicily, and Calabria. Remember that if you use too much garlic you risk covering the aroma and fragrance of the oil you’ve used. The breadcrumb should be oiled well, but not dripping wet and it should be seasoned with a pinch of salt and pepper to enhance aroma and flavor.

Not easy to bite!

The same remark about garlic, in my opinion, goes also for the other ingredients – less is more.

The various “innovations”, from anchovies with capers, cheese, and flavorful sauce, are to be added in quantities that give flavor and color, but not in doses that will cover any other flavoring. You certainly have seen some “creative” bruschettas with huge amounts of various ingredients.

Normally, the unfortunate consumer does not know how to take a bite off of a very big bruschetta. They begin to eat the bruschetta and in the meanwhile, the ingredients start to slip everywhere. They try to stem the fall with a napkin, and in the meanwhile, the oil and tomatoes are smeared on the other hand; or if the bruschetta is not too large, they try to open their mouth as much as possible and eat it in one bite. A real disaster! So the golden rule is simplicity. Instead of using a thousand ingredients altogether, maybe it’s better to prepare some more bruschettas, each one different from the other one.

Below are some suggestions for preparing your bruschetta:

1. Tomato Bruschetta

Ingredients for 4 servings

• 4 slices of Tuscan bread
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove
• basil leaves
• extra virgin oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation:

The most basic Italian bruschetta recipe is the first, the tomato bruschetta. Wash the tomatoes, blanch them briefly in boiling water, drain, remove the peel, the seeds, and the water inside. Cut them into cubes and collect them in a bowl. This isn’t the only traditional way for tomato bruschetta. You can also use the alternative of chopping the tomatoes freshly.

Wash the basil leaves, dry them, chop them, and add them to the tomatoes. Sprinkle with oil, salt, and pepper. Stir and let it marinate for about an hour.

Toast the bread in the oven, rub each slice with the garlic and add the tomato. Serve the bruschettas warm or cold, as preferred.

2. Anchovy Bruschetta recipe

Ingredients for 4 servings

• 4 slices of Tuscan bread
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 4 anchovy fillets
• 1 garlic clove
• chopped parsley
• 1 little fresh onion
• extra virgin oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation 

Another of the Italian bruschetta recipes that you should try is the Anchovy Bruschetta recipe.

Sauté the garlic in the oil, and when it turns a nice golden color take it out of the pan and add the anchovies and let them dissolve completely. Cut the tomatoes into round slices, remove the seeds, and put them on the freshly baked bread, adding salt. Cut the onion in very thin rings and with these cover the tomatoes. Add the sauce and complete the bruschettas with a pinch of pepper and chopped parsley.

Do you want to give it a shot?

Or maybe yo’d rather prefer trying Simona’s ones? Visit Farm to table Lago Maggiore and get inspired by the huge variety of Italian food!