Bruschetta, an Italian goodness - recipe and history

Here I am today to introduce you to these Italian wonders! We'll do a time travel to Italy, to begin with, wandering further back into the ancient Roman empire, discovering the sociological morph of the dish. I'll then share my recipe with you as usual.

Bruschetta is originally an appetizer. It comes with a wide variety of recipes, from vegan to quite meaty ones; each developed in different cities of Italy. Today's recipe is a vegan one which I have altered a bit with some herbal vegan-cheesy cheats!

The original and common recipe (also vegan), has found its way among light dinner meals, snacks, and weight loss diets; owing the fact to its flavourful, fresh, and diet-friendly ingredients.

The components of this dish didn't only favour its diverse use. It had also featured a broad historical root and had sociologically evolved to higher classes meals.

Prior forms of Bruschetta are claimed to be made by Etruscans and ancient Romans. It was a common snack or meal for labourers and farmers that harvested olives. They've often used stale bread as the base and topped it with freshly pressed olive oil.

The current form of Bruschetta however is rooted in Tuscany, Italy, 15th century. The dish wasn't limited to a particular class or guild's daily meal.

• historical facts inspirational reference:
  https://www.theinternationalkitchen.com/blog/a-history-of-bruschetta-italys-favorite-appetizer/
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruschetta#:~:text=Bruschetta%20originated%20in%20Italy%20during,using%20a%20slice%20of%20bread.

Ingredients (per two servings)

Preparation

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and set it aside for 30 minutes -at room temperature- letting the flavours combine.

Brush some extra virgin olive oil on bread slices. Put the bread in preheated oven 220°C for 7 minutes until they're golden brown. I've used some onion bread for this dish which is highly recommendable.

There are a few different approaches you can take after the topping mixture is marinated:

• It could simply be used as bread topping (or for dipping) as it is;
• It could be cooked on the stove for 2 to 3 minutes (on medium-high heat);
• It could be added on top of the toasted bread and go back in the oven for an extra 2 minutes.

I prefer the last method above all and always go for it. The last two methods are more recommendable if you prefer half-cooked onions and tomatoes or have concerns about easier digestion.

As you've realized this dish's preparation is quite simple and quick (15 min). It's almost impossible for it to go wrong as long as you'd be careful to use quality ingredients.

Some applicable alternation:

• For making a vegetarian variation, feel free to use traditional fresh mozzarella.
• For having the traditional version, skip onion, cheese, and use fresh Basil as the only herbal ingredient.
• If you prefer meaty touches, feel free to add some chopped anchovies to the topping.

Hope you'd make the dish and enjoy it! I'd be happy to hear your feedback if you've tried my recipe. :)))