The humble origin

Bruschetta is one of the foods with the most humble origin ever. And the fact that has become one of the symbols of the Italian cuisine in the world should make us think about how so often simplicity is a winner.
Bread has always been an important component of the basic foods, especially for the poor people who couldn’t have any access to more sophisticated and expensive resources. This was true at the times of the Roman Empire, when bread was the centre of the supplying system, as well as in our times where its distribution in the warzones can still make the difference between life and death for thousands of people. Since the diffusion of wheat, bread has been one of the biggest means in the hands of governments to control the masses.
Nowadays, especially in the advanced countries, it is often seen as a complement in the normal daily diet, but centuries ago most of the people worked hard just to gain a portion of that cooked mix of flour and water. And it was only around the 12th century that every family could have access to a public oven where could bake their own bread, while the luckiest ones had a private one at home.
Anyway for many centuries, bread was prepared and baked once a week, and the problem of preserving it until the end of the week was a serious one. One the various strategies, probably the easiest one, brought to the origin of bruschetta. Yes, because an elementary way to extend the life of the old bread is just to toast it.
In the central regions of Italy this habit encountered the common use of olive oil and the wide presence of garlic. So, with a lot of different local names, bruschetta came to us.

The name

The name “bruschetta” (please pronounce “sche” as “ske”, as in Italian “ch” is always “k”) comes from an ancient word of the Roman dialect, today currently used even in the modern Italian language. In this dialect the word “bruscare”, a verb, meant a mix of “to toast”, “to scorch” and “to burn”. This is natural if you think to the difficulty to toast uniformly the slice of bread in all the old traditional ways (mainly in the fireplace, but also in the oven or on a pan over the fire). For this reason the slice of bruschetta is not only toasted, but got to have those burnt zones (especially along the borders) that give it its peculiar taste. Without these burnt zones bruschetta is not a well done one. It’s the case when you haven’t to look for perfection, also perfection is not actually wanted. And in the end the slight touch of burnt perfectly complements the intense flavors of olive oil and garlic, creating a perfect harmony.

Traditions and modernity

There are many local versions of bruschetta, even if the basic recipe is always the same. A slice of bread, preferably an old one, toasted in some way, rubbed with garlic, and topped with olive oil. A sprinkle of salt and that’s all.
In Tuscany it’s called “fett’unta” (“oily slice”), in Piedmont “soma d’aj” (“load of garlic”), in Calabria “fedda ruscia” (“scorched slice”), but it’s practically the same preparation. Only the kind of local bread can slightly change the result. In the particular case of Tuscany, the bread is called “pane sciocco” (literally “dumb bread”), a particular kind of bread without salt, born in Florence and nowadays used in Tuscany and Umbria, that has a curious origin. It was born as a consequence of the fights between Pisa and Florence in the 12th century. In that time Pisa raised the price of salt to an unreasonable level, blocking de facto the supply of the precious resource to the town of Florence. The people of Florence didn’t lose heart, and began making bread without salt, giving birth to a traditional variety that is still widely used today.
In the end “bruschetta” arrived to the modern age ready to become a perfect canvas for the creative Italian cuisine.
The first fundamental contribution came from Naples with its tomatoes that still are the best companions, together with basil, for our beloved slices of “bruschetta”. Today most of the restaurants in Italy serve bruschetta in many versions, from the basic one, to that with tomatoes, to those with a wide choice of toppings as olive paste, truffle paste, artichoke paste, every kind of grilled or marinated vegetables, beans and more and more.
An important tip: don’t be frugal with garlic. Maybe it’s not so “social”, but it has a lot of healthy properties, besides the typical tasty touch that a good bruschetta cannot miss.