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June 2 - June 9, 2002 |
A fresh twist on toast
Bruschetta has become one of Italian cuisine's top exports
By Lynn Luciani
Originally Published: 2002-05-26
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Bruschetta with tomatoes, onions and olive oil
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I think it's the best thing to come along since sliced bread. And I know I'm not alone because all throughout Italy, festivals are held celebrating tomatoes and bruschetta, olives and bruschetta, garlic and bruschetta, and more.
In fact, we owe our thanks to the olive harvest for the popular and flavourful invention of bruschetta. I've heard it said that the ancient Romans probably tasted newly pressed olive oil on a piece of bread, although it's not clear whether or not they used garlic.
Bruschetta was the typical lunch of the olive grove workers for generations in Italy. They would drizzle fresh olive oil over day-old toasted bread and top it with vegetables like sweet red peppers or ripe plum tomatoes and maybe even some provolone or parmesan - a practice that has continued in the oil producing areas of Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio.
Its simple and lively flavours are the secret of its success. Basically, there are very few ingredients involved and very little preparation needed, yet the payoff is rather impressive.
Following the traditional garlic harvest, my family would enjoy the long-standing ritual of toasting plenty of day-old bread in the oven, then rubbing it with the new cloves of garlic, drizzling it with olive oil and dusting it with plenty of salt and dried oregano. Piles of the warm savoury toast sat on the table filling the room with irresistible aromas. It was one of the traditions my grandparents brought with them from Italy. (Along with the many essential heads of garlic bulging from their pockets that were later planted in their vegetable garden.)
The ultimate in simplicity, bruschetta in its most basic form has come a long way from the garlic fields and Italian villages to restaurant menus and elegant parties around the world. Today, however, there are more toppings for bruschetta than ever before and anything goes. It depends what you have a taste for, whether it's tomatoes, prosciutto, peppers, cheese, anchovies or salami.
In a recent visit to Turin in northern Italy, I dined at a trendy outdoor taverna in an ancient piazza My antipasto plate included some toasted bread rubbed with garlic and herbs and topped with garlic-marinated beans. Simplicity at its best and although the description doesn't sound very appetizing, the dish itself was so flavourful and delicious, I've made it again and again at home to the astonishment of my guests.
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