TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
PanzanellaTuscan Bread and Tomato Salad
A Tuscan summer starter of stale bread with tomatoes, onion and basil, dressed with wine vinegar. A refined expression of peasant cooking that makes use of leftover bread.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
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Ingredients (2 servings)
- Tuscan bread (at least 1 day old)Tear into 2cm pieces. Do not use fresh bread.200 g
- Large fully ripe tomatoesCut into wedges and retain the seeds.3 pieces
- Red onionThinly slice and soak in water for 10 minutes.1 piece
- CucumberThinly sliced.1 piece
- Fresh basil10 leaves
- Red wine vinegar30 ml
- Extra virgin olive oil40 ml
- Salta little
- Black peppera little
Method
Tear the bread
- 1 Tear 200g bread into 2cm pieces.
- 2 Put in a large bowl.
Prepare the vegetables
- 1 Thinly slice 1/2 red onion, soak in cold water for 10 minutes and drain.
- 2 Thinly slice 1 cucumber.
Ready when
Proceed when the sharpness has left the onion, about 10 minutes.
Moisten the bread with tomatoes
- 1 Cut 3 ripe tomatoes into wedges.
- 2 Put them over the bread with their seeds and juices.
Ready when
Proceed when the bread has thoroughly absorbed the tomato juices, about 10 minutes.
Add the vegetables
- 1 Add the drained red onion to the bowl.
- 2 Add the cucumber to the bowl.
- 3 Tear in 10 basil leaves by hand.
Dress the salad
- 1 Add 30ml red wine vinegar.
- 2 Add 40ml olive oil.
- 3 Add salt and black pepper and gently toss everything together.
Let the flavours combine
- 1 Leave at room temperature for 15–30 minutes.
Ready when
Proceed when the bread has absorbed the juices, is moist and the ingredients taste integrated.
About this dish
In rural Tuscany, people knew how to bring hardened bread back to the table instead of throwing it away. Panzanella is a representative summer dish, traditionally combining stale bread with ripe tomatoes, cucumber and onion.
Similar dishes are mentioned in 16th-century writings around Florence, and their practicality as cold meals in the summer heat was valued. Born as peasant food, the dish also spread to urban tables.
Panzanella still appears in homes and trattorias as a salad that symbolizes the Tuscan summer. It is both a way to reuse bread and a seasonal dish in which ripe tomatoes take the leading role.
Bring the full course home next weekend.
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