In Western food culture, the baguette, or French bread, is often turned into a snack called bruschetta. Let's get to know this simple but delicious dish.
The baguette is instantly recognisable: it is much longer than most other breads, with a hard, crisp crust and a soft, airy crumb inside. It is called "French bread" simply because it originated in France.
How Baguettes Were Eaten in the Past
The baguette was adapted from a large round loaf called the "boule". Bakers stretched the dough into a longer, slimmer shape so it would bake faster. This was a response to a government rule of the time that banned people from starting work before 4 a.m., forcing bakeries to find quicker ways to get bread out of the oven. The result was the long, stick-shaped loaf we now call the baguette.
French people of that era typically ate two baguettes a day: one bought in the morning and nibbled throughout the day, and another bought in the evening after work to take home. They ate it plain, or split it open and filled it with ham or butter.
How Baguettes Are Eaten Today
Today, Westerners often cut the baguette into slices and spread them with sauce, jam or chopped tomato for a bright, tangy flavour. Prepared this way, it becomes bruschetta, a popular snack or appetizer.
Unlike the baguette, bruschetta does not come from France. It originated in Italy and is believed to date back to the olive growing and olive oil making of ancient Rome. It is usually served as a snack or as an appetizer before the main meal. The baguette slices are toasted, rubbed with garlic and salt, and drizzled with olive oil, then finished with any topping you like, such as tomatoes, mushrooms, vegetables, onions, mozzarella, nuts or cheese. The version most people know is topped with fresh chopped tomatoes.
Because bruschetta is served as an appetizer or snack, many people enjoy it with a smooth, soft red wine served slightly warm. The wine's mellowness balances the heat of the garlic and the acidity of the tomatoes, while its alcohol helps balance the acidity against the sweetness of the bread.
So next time you pick up a baguette from the supermarket or a bakery and want to enjoy French bread in a new way, try making bruschetta at home and share it with your family.
