Sicilian cunzato bread is an institution of Sicilian cuisine. Ask any Sicilian what his first thought is in front of a freshly baked bread and his answer will be "make it cunzato"! A poor dish, it is actually rich in taste due to the multiplicity of ingredients that can be used for its filling. Pane cunzato means, in fact, seasoned bread .
It is one of the easiest recipes that can be made, but also one of the most satisfying. We can define it as an "archaic" version of the sandwich, the protagonist of the lunch breaks of many of those who find themselves eating outside the home.
The origin of Sicilian cunzato bread
As it is easy to deduce, pane cunzato constituted lunch in less fortunate times than ours, when bread and oil were barely available at home. And this is precisely how it was born - hence its other denomination, " bread of misfortune " - from the need to enrich bread, perhaps stale, in order to be able to enjoy it at lunch.
The recipe for this sandwich was used when one did not have the resources to be able to buy anything else. In ancient times it was made with what little you had at home, such as a few pieces of tomato or, in the luckiest cases, cheese . In short, cheap and easy to find smells and condiments.
The essential ingredient was dried oregano , capable of giving a delicious aroma and flavour. The cunzato bread was then just warmed up to make sure that it softened just enough, and that the ingredients went to better penetrate inside the crumb.
What is cunzato bread
It is simply a bread cut in half and seasoned with different ingredients that can vary according to the area of origin. Milazzo, Vulcano, Palermo, Scopello : there are many Sicilian places where cunzatu bread is an expression of gastronomic culture: in fact, it is made with typical local products. Some Sicilian oven prepares it ready to be enjoyed.
In Sicily, however, it is synonymous with summer, with little desire to cook and lunches by the sea. Many people make it in the morning before going to the beach and then enjoy it at noon, when the heat of the previous hours made it even more tempting.
Pane cunzato, the original Sicilian recipe
Anyone who is on holiday in Sicily should try it: it is part of the Sicilian experience and allows you to immerse yourself deeply in the traditions of the island, inextricably linked to the old customs. It has nothing to envy to the well-known typical dishes such as pasta alla Norma or pasta with sardines . This is the original bread recipe, in its "poorer" version. The one that you "must" prepare when you bring home warm bread.
Ingredients
- 1 kg of Sicilian bread
- A few anchovy fillets in oil
- A few slices of Primo sale cheese
- 2 tomatoes
- Dried oregano to taste
- extra virgin olive oil to taste
- salt and pepper
Preparation
- Cut the bread in half. Drizzle both halves with plenty of extra virgin olive oil. Cut the tomatoes into slices.
- Season the bread with anchovy fillets, the cheese cut into slices, tomato slices and complete with dried oregano sprinkled on top, salt and pepper.
- Put the bread back together, press lightly and, if you like, let it heat up for a few minutes in the oven before enjoying it.
The characteristics of Sicilian cunzato bread
Essential characteristics of the preparation are the softness of the bread and the crunchiness of its crust. The bread should have been freshly baked and immediately seasoned. Alternatively, it should be warmed up for a few minutes before tasting. Being a simple recipe, the secret of a good cunzato bread depends on the quality of its ingredients . The bread should preferably be cooked in a wood oven, the cheese from a trusted local producer, the tomatoes from the garden, and so on.
Variants of cunzato bread
Constituting one of the most popular Sicilian street food , it is possible to taste it in different variations influenced by the territory. Here are the best known.
Cunzato bread from Scopello
Scopello is a small fraction of Castellammare del Golfo which is located not far from the Zingaro Nature Reserve. Cunzatu bread, here, is a traditional must. The bread that is prepared here is delicious, it has a brown crust and a perfectly leavened crumb. As soon as it is taken out of the oven, it is seasoned with slices of tomato, anchovies in oil and Primo sale .
Cunzato Aeolian bread
Among the most popular ones is the Aeolian cunzato bread , typical of the Aeolian Islands, which is enriched with the irreplaceable capers of Salina and with datterini tomatoes as an alternative to the common ones, as well as with olives or salted ricotta.
Cunzato bread from Messina
The Messina version is even richer, if you will. In Messina, cunzato bread differs in the addition of vegetables such asaubergines in oil and dried tomatoes . The tuma replaces the Primo sale. It is completed by olives to taste and, of course, rivers of good oil and fragrant oregano.
