Panzanella

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Panzanella
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Origin
Alternative name(s) Panmolle
Place of origin Italy
Region or state Tuscany
Details
Type Salad
Main ingredient(s) Bread, tomatoes

Panzanella [pantsaˈnɛlla] or panmolle [pamˈmɔlle] is a Tuscan salad of bread and tomatoes that's popular in the summer. It includes chunks of soaked stale bread and tomatoes, sometimes also onions and basil, dressed with olive oil and vinegar. It is also popular in other parts of central Italy.

History

The 16th-century artist and poet Bronzino sings the praises of onions with oil and vinegar served with toast[1] and, a page later, speaks of a salad of onions, purslane, and cucumbers.[2][3] This is often interpreted as a description of panzanella.[4]

Ingredients

Panzanella was based on onions, not tomatoes, until the 20th century.[5]

Modern panzanella is generally made of stale bread soaked in water and squeezed dry, tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Onions and basil are often added.

Other ingredients—lettuce, olives, mozzarella, white wine, capers, anchovies, celery, carrots, red wine, red onion, cucumber, tuna, parsley, boiled eggs, mint, bell peppers, lemon juice, and garlic— are sometimes used, but Florentine traditionalists disapprove of them.[4]

See also

References

  1. "In lode delle cipolle", Capitoli faceti editi ed inediti di Mess. Agnolo Allori detto il Bronzino..., Venice, 1822 text
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  4. 4.0 4.1 Marco Bazzichi, "Panzanella, tra tradizione e le varianti «immigrate»", Corriere Fiorentino 18 agosto 2010 text
  5. The earliest mention of tomatoes in panzanella found in Google Books is in 1928, in Le vie d'Italia (Rivista mensile del Touring Club Italiano 75)