Bruschetta is a traditional and one of the most enjoyable appetizers of Italy. It is a very easy-to-make dish, but full of flavors with just a few high-quality and affordable ingredients.

Bruschetta has a very long history, so it is hard to determine its exact origins. Some state that it dates back to the Etruscan age, while others claim that it was invented in Ancient Roman times. Most likely it was invented in the area between the regions Tuscany and Lazio. The name Bruschetta comes from the verb bruscare which means to toast, and which was a part of a primitive dialect used in Rome and the Lazio region. Further, Etruscans were the first people to use olive oil, first as a medicine and as fuel for lamps, and later as food. Assumably, the ‘prototype’ of bruschetta was invented by a Roman farmer, while tasting the olive oil he produced. But one is certain – for centuries it fed field workers and farmers during their hard-working days. It served both as a delicious snack or meal and as a way to save old bread.

Originally, Bruschetta consisted of slices of saltless, one-day-old bread brushed with a clove of garlic and drizzled with olive oil. In the 16th century, tomatoes came to Italy from north or south America over Spain and were quickly added as a topping on bruschettas.
Today, every region in Italy has its own type of Bruschetta. In Tuscany it is also known as fettunta, meaning oiled slice and it is made with Tuscan bread – also known as ‘silly bread’, because it’s made without salt – and extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and served along with cuts of meat like Prosciutto Crudo, chicken livers, fresh sausage or lard. In Puglia bruschetta is made with famous bread from Altamura – its slices are slightly toasted, seasoned using some delicious extra virgin oil and topped with small, sweet tomatoes produced in Brindisi, garlic, salt and pepper. In the Abruzzo region of Italy, bruschetta is made with a salami called ventricina. There are also versions of bruschetta with zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, bell peppers and many different kinds of cheeses.

Regardless of the type, the secret of good bruschetta lies in its high-quality ingredients. Besides, olive oil should be very young and recently pressed and, if used, tomatoes should be fresh – canned tomatoes are absolutely forbidden. And as an old Italian proverb states, “Day-old bread, month-old oil, and year-old wine”, bruschetta is best accompanied by a glass of good Italian wine.

We really love bruschettas and we prepare them often, especially in the summer months, when this simple, fresh and colorful dish brings a Mediterranean feeling.