When we think of bread, most of us picture something soft, fluffy and loaf-shaped. But one type of bread breaks that mould: the breadstick, which is long, thin and crunchy. Let's get to know it.
Most of the bread sold in shops and bakeries comes in loaves with a soft, fluffy texture, and that has become the image most people have of bread. One bread that departs from this is the baguette, or French bread, which is long and large like a stick of wood, yet everyone still knows it is bread.
The breadstick goes even further than the baguette. It is a slender stick about the size of a pencil, with a texture so crunchy that it hardly seems like bread at all, but it really is bread too.
The Origin of Breadsticks
In Italian, breadsticks are called grissini, a word used for crisp breadsticks since 1670. Their noble origin is linked to the childhood of the Duke of Savoy, Vittorio Amedeo II (1666–1732). The court physician advised that the frail young duke should eat easily digestible food, in the hope of stimulating his appetite. So Antonio Brunero, a local baker, came up with the idea of the breadstick. The historical background to this noble origin story is fairly complex.
Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy became duke at a very young age after his father died, while his French mother ruled as regent with a rather domineering streak. In time the boy grew up and showed strength of character and a subtle intelligence. Indeed, in the first quarter of the 1700s he was inevitably drawn into the political, diplomatic and military affairs of Europe.
A few years after Vittorio Amedeo began eating the breadsticks, he faced French troops who besieged Turin for many days. The young duke defeated the French and, as a result, was crowned King of Sicily with great pomp in 1713, a title he exchanged for Sardinia in 1720.
Piedmont is proud of its grissini, and locals believe the breadsticks gave the duke the strength to become king. This important success also had a major impact on the city.
Spectacular Baroque architecture was commissioned to make Turin look like the capital of a new kingdom, as elegant as other European cities. The whole region benefited from this activity, including the university, founded in 1405, which was later expanded.
Some say that in 1668 Carlo Emanuele II, Vittorio Amedeo's father, was worried about the spread of disease and asked bakers to make more hygienic bread. Brunero created these sticks, which were less likely to go mouldy or spoil because they contain less moisture than loaves and rolls.
According to others, grissini are older, and their name comes from "grissia" ("ghersa" in the local dialect), the local name for a loaf of bread. Around 1300, after a period of inflation, bakers began making their loaves smaller and smaller, until people started using the name "grissino" as a diminutive.
