Italian Panini: let’s discover the most popular
The Italian panini is a classic that will never fade. Whether for a snack, a light lunch or a dinner with friends, panini is always a good idea! Let’s discover the most popular Italian panini.
The origins of the Italian Panini
Nothing simpler than two slices of bread holding stuff inside. The Italian Panini has always existed and, like many other fundamental Italian dishes, it boasts Ancient Roman origins. In fact, in ancient Rome they used to enjoy not only the yummy focaccia, stuffed with game and vegetables. They could also savor the popular Panis ac Perna. This stands literally for bread and prosciutto, the dry cured ham. Yes, indeed! The famous prosciutto sandwich was well known by the ancient Romans. At that time it was a loaf of grape must, with dry cured prosciutto and dried figs. A delicacy!
Our beloved Italian panini!
From street food to gourmet Panini
The Italian sandwich, or Panino, was born as a representation of what is today defined street food. First of all, it is something that we can assemble quickly and with little effort. Over the years many chefs revisited and reworked the panini, so much so that it has become gourmet, just like pizza. In fact many famous chefs have tried their hand at creating gourmet panini, finding the perfect fit between five-star doughs and elaborately prepared ingredients. But let’s discover the most popular Italian panini.
Gourmet panini combines togheter simplicity, quality and imagination
Tramezzino
Originally from Turin, the tramezzino is the most similar to the English sandwich. It was born after deciding not to toast the bread but to leave it soft, removing the crust, and filling it with different ingredients. Originally butter and anchovies. Usually is white bread, the sandwich bread, in Italian pancarrè. In fact, the consistency must be particularly soft and moist. Today, from north to south, the triangular Tramezzino is one of the most popular snacks. And there are many different flavors. Tuna and tomato, ham and cheese, boiled eggs and mayonnaise or grilled vegetables. In Rome, thanks to the brilliant idea of the pizza chef Stefano Callegari, we have Trapizzino. Play on words between Tramezzino and Pizza, is in fact the crispy Roman pizza corner, filled with the most traditional dishes of Italian cuisine.
(Trapizzino – Via Giovanni Branca, 88)
The famous Venetian tramezzino
Italian Porchetta sandwich
It is a typical sandwich from central Italy, in particular Lazio and Umbria regions. For the porchetta, they bone the pork and cook it on a spit. In Lazio the most famous porchetta is that of Ariccia, a town near Rome, in the heart of the Castelli Romani area. Here they use salt, black pepper, garlic and rosemary to stuff the pork. The porchetta sandwich is therefore a typical Italian street food. Usually we add nothing to this panini, as the meat is already very tasty. However, you can accompany the porchetta with stringy cheese, such as provola or scamorza, and with grilled zucchini or eggplants. Of course in Rome you can enjoy good porchetta, the important thing is to check that it is from Ariccia!
(Er Buchetto dal 1890 – Via del Viminale, 2/F)
One of the cornerstones of Roman street food: the porchetta sandwich
Mortadella Panini (or pizza bianca with mortadella)
Mortadella is the most famous cold cut meat in the Bolognese gastronomic tradition. Its origins date back to Etruscan times. In the past it was an elite product and prerogative of the finest palates. Today mortadella is one of the most famous Italian baked pork salami and is now accessible to everyone. In Italy the mortadella sandwich is even one of the most popular packed lunches, or snacks. However, in Rome pizza bianca with mortadella is an institution. In fact the saltyness of the Roman pizza bianca (thin-crust bread pizza) goes perfectly with the sapidity of the mortadella.
(Gino 1950 – Via del Corso, 502)
The most suitable bread to use for mortadella panini is the michetta, also called rosetta
Panuozzo
It’s a sandwich made with pizza dough and baked again in the oven. It was born in Gragnano, a city in Campania region, from the idea of the pizza chef Giuseppe Mascolo for his children, as a variant of the usual panini or pizza. Panuozzo can be stuffed with anything, but salsiccia (the Italian sausage) and friarielli (broccoli rabes) is certainly the most classic combination. With a typically elongated shape, the Panuozzo is a fairly recent invention but has now become a classic.
(Fiore – Piazza Pollarola, 29)
the crunchiness of the panuozzo is essential
Puccia
Symbol of the Salento culinary tradition, in particular of Puglia region. It is type of bread, round and not too large, of the same dough as pizza. Its characteristic is the little crumb, the soft part of the loaf. This is thanks to the particular preparation in a wood-fired oven and at high temperatures, which makes it perfect for filling. The perfect ingredients are the traditional ones, such as zucchini, bell peppers, cime di rapa (turnip greens), cheeses and cured meats. In the past it was the favorite bread of farmers who worked in the fields. In fact they needed food that was both substantial and quick to eat. The Puccia Leccese is certainly the original one. Originally from Lecce, it is a poor dish, born out of the need to make the most of the ingredients and to satisfy.
(Radici Pizzicheria Salentina – Via Emanuele Filiberto, 38)
There’s one puccia for all tastes! Copyright@morettiforni.com
