Can We Talk About Bread?

Apr 08, 2019 470

BY: THOMAS J. PULEO

When a non-Italian thinks of Italian cuisine, he or she typically thinks in terms of wine and pasta, and of course pizza. But I think the real protagonist of the Italian table is bread. The variety that is available, region by region, might be greater than that of wine although not as great as pasta, whose selection expands not only according to grain type, but also shape, filling, manufacture (fresh or dried), preparation (in soup or sauce), and of course the seemingly limitless variety of sughi (sauces) and condimenti (condiments). As for pizza, it is really the toppings that distinguish and define it, although all great intenditori (connoisseurs) of pizza know that good pizza is really all about the crust.

Still, bread, plain bread that is put on the table at every meal, retains supreme importance. All of the great affettati e salumi (sliced and cured meats), salsicce e formaggi (sausage and cheese), even insalate (salads) are rendered inedible if no bread is available. One needs to think only of common English words, such as ‘company’ and ‘companion’ to recognize the central importance of bread as both a daily material necessity and as a rich and wide ranging metaphor, deriving from the Latin com (with) panis (bread). Its importance is central and fundamental to Christianity in both word and ritual.

Read more

SOURCE: https://italicsmag.com/

You may be interested