Bruschetta with a Hard Twist

Jul 8

For those of you who follow our blog know that we often write about Italian food. But not the Italian dishes you find all across America, like spaghetti and meatballs, chicken parmesan and shrimp parmesan, which, by the way, are really dishes created by Italian Americans that you typically do not find when traveling across Italy. Since our company came about to be a bridge to bring to you undiscovered wines and foods, we instead write about “new” wines and foods that, actually, have been around for many years and are steeped in tradition.

In this article, we’re telling you about a food called “frisella” (that go by other names too like fresella or frisa, or in plural form friselle or freselle). It is a hard bread that is in the shape of a bagel. It originates from Southern Italy, and is associated mostly with Puglia, the heel of the boot of Italy which we recently wrote about. Come summertime, you see Southern Italy people, and many others around Italy, serving them at lunch, dinner and snacks. Let’s learn more about this food and traditions behind.

The Frisella Backstory

The frisella is a dry bread. Think of it as a cracker that is really thick and hard. The dough is used to form spirals, then they are baked and then cut, to form singular pieces of slightly irregular shapes and an irregular surface. Each of the halved slices are then baked again, removing any softness of the bread, using the oven as a food dehydrator.

The origins of the frisella (pronounced FREE-ZELL-AH) is from sailors in the 10th century, in particular the Phoenicians who traveled around the Mediterranean area, hence the connection with Puglia Italy, which, as we talked about in this previous article, has a long history with the Greeks and others foreign populations, thanks to its long stretch of land that is on both the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea. Also what has worked in the favor of frisella, allowing it to stand the test of time, is its long staying power: it is purposely made as a dry bread, not fresh bread. In fact, the frisella became a mainstay for fishermen, a key profession in most of the South of Italy. stayed around in this history for that reason, being a mainstay of the diets for most of Southern Italy people, especially given its history of having high rates of poverty. And to this day, it makes a great snack or side dish with any meal.

However, how can you eat a frisella if it is so hard?

The sailors and fishermen in the day solved that problem. They would dip the frisella in sea water. In fact, the tradition of dipping frisella in water continues to this day.

Eating Frisella

Dipping frisella into water before putting tomato bruschetta and olive oil on top, as they do in Puglia.

Frisella is eaten open faced with some sort of topping. BUT the key to eating frisella is to moisten the frisella in a bowl of water first before spreading the topping on. The trick is to get it moistened just enough so it is still slightly crunchy but not long enough so it gets too mushy and falls apart. Let’s say, max 3 seconds after it is submerged in water.

The most traditional way to eat it in Puglia Italy is to make a tomato bruschetta mixture to spread it on top. With the traditional Italian bruschetta recipe below, it takes advantage of fresh foods you find in your garden in the summer, from tomato to basil. And to make this bruschetta extra flavorful, or any fresh tomatoes sauce for that matter, use a really good extra virgin olive oil, like the ones we seek out and import from small Italian producers. The key is super fresh ingredients, especially the best tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil you can find. It’s a bruschetta recipe easy, once you have the fresh and best ingredients. Think of it like a fresh tomatoes salsa recipe but easier and not as spicy.

Substitute Frisella with a Bagel Instead

Googling, it seems that you can find frisella to buy at Italian speciality markets or online stores. But we have an idea for a substitute: try a day old bagel instead. In fact, think of it as a bagel recipe instead. Even better, it’s a great way to use up stale bagels lying around the house! Just remember to put them in the oven at a low temperature, or use a food hydrator, to take away all of the remaining moisture in the bagel. Try this and let us know how it works for you as a substitute for a real Italian frisella.

When You’re in Puglia…

What wine to pair with your frisella tomato bruschetta? Look no further than our last article about rosé wines from Puglia. A rosato, rosé wine, from Puglia, like Domus Hortae’s Kiaros Nero di Troia, pairs nicely with the perception of both sweetness and acidity from the bread and fresh tomatoes of the Frisella Bruschetta.

Now with this authentic bruschetta recipe, with the best Italian olive oil and a dry rose wine handpicked by us from a small family in Puglia, do you think you’re ready to impress your friends and family?

One last thing: be sure to have the right bruschetta pronunciation down, as many Americans do the ‘bruta figura’ and pronouce bruschetta with the ‘ch’ sounding like the ‘ch’ in ‘chico.’ That’s incorrect, guys! Italian is the opposite of Spanish in this case.

Here’s a quick Italian lesson for you: ‘ch’ in Italian is pronounced with a hard ‘c’ sound - think pronouncing the ‘ch’ like a ‘K’ instead. So the correct bruschetta pronunciation is BROO-SKAY-TTAH. There you go! Do the bella figura now!

Bruschetta Recipe With Frisella (or Bagel)

Cooking and Prep Time: 10 minutes
Portions: Approx. 2-4 portions

Ingredients:
1/2 pound of fresh tomatoes
1 bulb of fresh garlic, peeled
6 fresh basil leaves
Pinch of sea salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Quercia Scarlatta, Febo, Aurinia, or Caletra)
4 slices of frisella (or can substitue with 2 leftover bagels, sliced)
Small bowl filled with water

Suggested Wine Pairing
Domus Hortae Kiaros Nero di Troia Rose Wine

Download the Recipe

Procedure:
1. Start by selecting fresh tomatoes, and as sweet as possible. Chop into bite sized pieces and put in a small bowl.

2. Finely slice, or crush, a bulb of fresh garlic and add to tomatoes.

3. Slice the fresh basil leaves (don’t worry about taking out the basil vein) and add to tomato mixture.

4. Add 1 - 2 tablespoons of the best extra virgin olive oil you can get your hands on, like the ones we import in!

5. Add a sprinkling of sea salt (to taste) and stir.

6. Get a bowl, fill it with water and dip a frisella into it for max 3 seconds. (If instead you are using leftover bagels slices, dry them first in the oven at 155°F for about 2 hours or until firm and crisp, then cool.)

7. Spread the tomato bruschetta recipe onto your frisella. Drizzle of bit of extra virgin olive oil on top and pair with a glass of rosato, or rose wine, from Puglia.