PANE CUNZATU
When I think of the flavors of Sicily, I can't help but think of the "pane cunzatu", the seasoned bread that is made in Sicily. Tourists can find and enjoy it in many places, from bars to bakeries, while locals prepare it at home, for a tasty meal, or in country parties and summer dinners with friends. Tradition has it that it is bread, homemade, cooked strictly in a wood oven, seasoned with freshly squeezed Sicilian extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, salted sardines, basil, oregano, olives and slices of salt. I want to tell you an anecdote from the Trapani area. At the end of the olive harvest, after their pressing, a still green oil is obtained, with a very strong and slightly "spicy" taste. Well, with the first oil, you organize a dinner and taste the "pane cunzatu" and taste the new oil.
But the "pane cunzatu" is much more than that. It is a dish of the poor tradition, so much so that it was once called "bread of misfortune": when you could not put something on the table, women made bread and, hot and crunchy, stuffed it with self-produced ingredients, such as oil, tomato, basil, oregano and olives. And the husbands, returning from the fields, enjoyed it hot. The salty Sardinian, which gives the "pane cunzatu" that extra touch of flavor was added by the families who could buy them or whose husbands worked in the maritime environment. Today, as then, the tradition of "pani cunzatu" has remained the same. What is certain is that, while until fifty years ago, almost all families owned a wood-burning oven, today unfortunately this is no longer the case. You choose, therefore, a good bread of re-milled semolina purchased from the many bakeries, the format you prefer, and you still season it as before. The important thing, to obtain the traditional effect, is to heat it slightly in the oven before enjoying it.
Now I leave you to the recipe, which does not include doses, but, as our elders say, the ingredients must be put "a sintimentu" ("a feeling", in short, according to tastes!). A good homemade bread richly seasoned with first salt, salted anchovies, EVO oil, tomatoes and oregano. Wonderfully good especially if the bread is a bit warm.
Ingredients
Homemade breadExtra virgin olive oil Sardines in saltBasilTomatoesGreen olivesOreganoSalt
Preparation
Split the bread in half for the length and remove a little crumb if it is too much. Soak both sides of the bread with plenty of olive oil (I recommend, do not be stingy). Spread on one side of the bread the sardines (which you have desalted), the sliced tomato, basil, oregano, sliced salt and olives. Close the bread and spend a few minutes in a hot oven, so that it becomes crispy. ... now bite it, and tell me if you don't feel Sicily in your mouth!
NoteThe version without sardines, provides for their replacement with canned tuna, but it will not be the same.
When I think of the flavors of Sicily, I can't help but think of the "pane cunzatu", the seasoned bread that is made in Sicily. Tourists can find and enjoy it in many places, from bars to bakeries, while locals prepare it at home, for a tasty meal, or in country parties and summer dinners with friends. Tradition has it that it is bread, homemade, cooked strictly in a wood oven, seasoned with freshly squeezed Sicilian extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, salted sardines, basil, oregano, olives and slices of salt. I want to tell you an anecdote from the Trapani area. At the end of the olive harvest, after their pressing, a still green oil is obtained, with a very strong and slightly "spicy" taste. Well, with the first oil, you organize a dinner and taste the "pane cunzatu" and taste the new oil.
But the "pane cunzatu" is much more than that. It is a dish of the poor tradition, so much so that it was once called "bread of misfortune": when you could not put something on the table, women made bread and, hot and crunchy, stuffed it with self-produced ingredients, such as oil, tomato, basil, oregano and olives. And the husbands, returning from the fields, enjoyed it hot. The salty Sardinian, which gives the "pane cunzatu" that extra touch of flavor was added by the families who could buy them or whose husbands worked in the maritime environment. Today, as then, the tradition of "pani cunzatu" has remained the same. What is certain is that, while until fifty years ago, almost all families owned a wood-burning oven, today unfortunately this is no longer the case. You choose, therefore, a good bread of re-milled semolina purchased from the many bakeries, the format you prefer, and you still season it as before. The important thing, to obtain the traditional effect, is to heat it slightly in the oven before enjoying it.
Now I leave you to the recipe, which does not include doses, but, as our elders say, the ingredients must be put "a sintimentu" ("a feeling", in short, according to tastes!). A good homemade bread richly seasoned with first salt, salted anchovies, EVO oil, tomatoes and oregano. Wonderfully good especially if the bread is a bit warm.
Ingredients
Homemade bread
Extra virgin olive oil
Sardines in salt
Basil
Tomatoes
Green olives
Oregano
Salt
Preparation
Split the bread in half for the length and remove a little crumb if it is too much. Soak both sides of the bread with plenty of olive oil (I recommend, do not be stingy). Spread on one side of the bread the sardines (which you have desalted), the sliced tomato, basil, oregano, sliced salt and olives. Close the bread and spend a few minutes in a hot oven, so that it becomes crispy. ... now bite it, and tell me if you don't feel Sicily in your mouth!
Note
The version without sardines, provides for their replacement with canned tuna, but it will not be the same.
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