3227 Our daily, unsalted, bread

Many foreign and regional foods are an acquired taste and perseverance is eventually rewarded. Unfortunately though, I've never quite been able to come to terms with the ubiquitous unsalted bread of Umbria, otherwise known as 'pane schiappa'. Bland, dry and anaemic looking, eating it is just about as exciting as biting into the blocks of polystyrene foam that televisions come packed in.

There is a reason for the local bread being this way though, I'm told. Apparently, whilst those hedonistic Tuscans have always had handy caves and cellars, carved out of tufa or limestone, to stash their salamis and hams in, Umbria's clay soils were not suitable for building underground storage. As a result, it became necessary to salt the meats more heavily in order to preserve them from the summertime heat. The unsalted bread thus became the 'antidote' to the saltiness of the cured meats, making them more palateable. Then there's bruschetta, which magically transforms the horrible bread, with nothing more than a drizzle of piquant olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Walk into any grocery store and the owner will make you a delicious sandwich from the crusty bread and prosciutto at his disposal, for no more than the cost of the ingredients. Much more appetising than anything served-up at Subway.

My bone of contention though is the habit that many restaurants have of plonking a basket of the dry, unsalted bread down on your table with the mineral water, while you are waiting for the first course to arrive. It never fails to evoke the feeling of being in Alcatraz.

If you're out shopping for bread in Umbria and can't find either of the two most acceptable alternatives; the golden Pane Altamura and the crusty but doughy Pane di Genzano, salvation is at hand in even the smallest village bakeries in the form of Pizza di Pasqua; the tall round loaves of cheesy bread with warts, blisters and lumps of delicious grana padana all the way through.

Category
Eat & Drink

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/10/2006 - 18:00

I have to agree with you on the bread - but I have heard another story as to why Umbria (and also Tuscany) traditionally do not use salt in bread.

Apparently, the Pope (who was not popular in these regions) in about 1500 said that he would levy a tax on salt. The Pope had under his control the Pontine Marshes, which was the main source of salt. Being bolshy, the Umbrians simply said we are not going to pay your tax- we shall simply not use your salt!! I am quite keen on this story, because it accords with the fact that until about ten years ago it was not possible to buy salt other than at a tobacconist. If you look at an old "tabac" sign you will see that they are offering cigarettes, bolli (stamps) and "sale". Salt was a state monopoly until very recently.

If the bread is very fresh (about 5am!) it is quite delicious, but it has a shelf life of about an hour, after which it becomes a credible building material.

Ah well - apart from salamis and sausages we are not doing a very good job of selling Umbria as a gastronomic destination!!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/13/2006 - 17:32

Marc

My books mention the same story in regards to why the bread is made without salt. In fact, one doesn't need salt to make delicious bread, my belief is that the Umbrians simply haven't insisted on a better product. My neighbours who could buy a decent loaf in town, tend to buy instead from the bread man who comes to our village most days. I've bought from him & wouldn't feed the stuff to the birds.

We have moaned about dolce & pane, but by God, the rest of the food I've eaten here is 1st class & best of all at Montali, a gourmet vegetarian Agritourismo near Panicale, which is listed as 1 of the top 10 vegatarian restaurants in the world. We do have superb food, but you need to know where to find it.

Lavender Field

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/13/2006 - 19:10

Do we forget history and traditions - and just go for Pane Morbido - yes I know I am an outsider - does it exist in Umbria?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 06/05/2006 - 23:06

Actually, I quite like the unsalted bread here and happily crunch on a piece while waiting for a meal to arrive, especially drizzled with a little olive oil.

However, we like to make our own bread and have a Panasonic bread machine, which is said to be the best one to buy. I chuck all the ingredients in last thing at night, set the timer, and wake up to the smell of freshly baked bread at a fraction of the shop cost. I have learnt that a 50/50 mix of whole meal (integrale) flour and plain white type 'O' plus olive oil instead of butter works best. I use the machine to make my pizza dough too and prepare the topping while it churns away making perfect dough. Then there is foccacia, torta al testo, pesto pinwheels, sun-dried tomato bread and pesto and pine nuts.... The list is delicious and endless!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 06/07/2006 - 12:45

Gnam gnam. Ever thought of running a delivery service Graham?.... you know where we live!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 11:27

phew! Good to know I'm not alone. Bread is my one grumble after 3 fab years in Calvi Dell'Umbria

I actually quite like the lack of salt - it allows you to let the flavour of the pasta sauce etc. take centre stage, and as all agree, grilled with good oil & garlic it can be a work of art in its own right - but unless you get a loaf baked within the last couple of hours, the crust is just painful!

I make my own pizza in the UK, and I've found that the double zero flour that was reccomended to me for pizza dough (by local italians) produces a rock hard crust too. Having only had a kitchen fitted on my last visit, I've not yet had time to try with a softer flour, but I hope that will result in a more pleasant base. I like it crisp, but not brittle. if that goes OK, think I'll be following Graham's advice and making my own bread at night.

Lavender Field - 'scuse my ignorance, but where is Panicale? I'm down in Southern Umbria, right at the border with Lazio ... if it's in range I'll deffo give Montali a try next visit!

Ciao!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 11:39

[QUOTE=Relaxed;27275]I have to agree with you on the bread - but I have heard another story as to why Umbria (and also Tuscany) traditionally do not use salt in bread.

Apparently, the Pope (who was not popular in these regions) in about 1500 said that he would levy a tax on salt. The Pope had under his control the Pontine Marshes, which was the main source of salt. Being bolshy, the Umbrians simply said we are not going to pay your tax- we shall simply not use your salt!! I am quite keen on this story, because it accords with the fact that until about ten years ago it was not possible to buy salt other than at a tobacconist. If you look at an old "tabac" sign you will see that they are offering cigarettes, bolli (stamps) and "sale". Salt was a state monopoly until very recently.

If the bread is very fresh (about 5am!) it is quite delicious, but it has a shelf life of about an hour, after which it becomes a credible building material.

Ah well - apart from salamis and sausages we are not doing a very good job of selling Umbria as a gastronomic destination!![/QUOTE]

I agree,here in the Marche the bread is actually worse than in Umbria it's only fresh for half an hour before becoming building material...i keep telling my friend the baker that he'll have to be careful if we get german bakers coming here i could see him being out of work...in the meantime our saltless bread continues.Before being accused of being negative i note that the bread is fantastic around Roma,Napoli,in Sicilia,in Puglia,alto adige,veneto,lombardia ecc so it seems to be only us....

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 17:38

Pigro - (Lavender Field is thankfully no longer with us - do not ask!) - but if you fancy trying Alberto Musaccio's vegetarian agriturismo at Montali you will find it under Az. Ag. Montali in the Perugia phone book. It is in the comune of Panicale, which is a medieval hill town (well worth a visit) located close to the SS220 which connects Citta della Pieve with Perugia. I'm sure Google will direct you up the correct white road to find this engaging (although with Fawlty Towers overtones) eating house.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/07/2007 - 14:21

An unbeatable combination for a moist, well-flavoured loaf is a Panasonic breadmaker (don't buy any other brand) and a sunflower bread mix available only from Lidl - just add water and cook on rapid bake programme - two hours from adding the water to taking out the cooked loaf. Perfect for the lazy cook who wants bread quickly without leaving the house. The brand of the mix is Landgut. They do other varieties, but in my experience the sunflower has been by far the best.
Bread made with 25% wholemeal 75% 0 flour and the dried yeast with improvers made specially for breadmakers is also very good if you prefer a lighter loaf.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 07:24

[QUOTE=Relaxed;57922]I'm sure Google will direct you up the correct white road to find this engaging (although with Fawlty Towers overtones) eating house.[/QUOTE]

Sounds fun, if slightly at odds with the "one of the top 10 veggie restaurants in the world" accolade bestowed by LF ... Have you eaten there yourself?

Speaking of Faulty Towers, and way, way off-topic, but there is a wonderful reality TV show currently showing on terrestrial in the UK called "Chaos at the Chateau" which brings that classic comedy to mind - featuring a couple who sold up in the UK and went to Slovakia to restore an old Chateau as a luxury hotel. It's classic Basil/Sybill/manuel territory: He's surly, cynical & rude to the customers; she sits dishing out verbal abuse to him while not doing a stroke of work herself - and flirts outrageously with everyone else(despite being entirely the wrong shape/age/IQ to pull it off!!); they both treat the staff like dogs, and the staff in turn have no concept of what they're being told to do ... sound familiar??

In the last episode, they actually had a health & safety guy come to inspect them - they were not supposed to be open (lacking neccessary permissions/certificates) but had 4 guests staying anyway. they had to take the guests out for the day to a winery (at 10 minutes notice) to keep them away from the inspector, and once they'd gone, thy hid all their clothes, all food/drink etc. & sent the staff away to hide until the visit was over...

The guests came back (blind drunk) to find the staff had replaced their clothes in the wrong rooms; the staff thought they'd been sacked because they'd been sent away; etc. etc. ... honestly it could have been a real FT script, and brought tears to my eyes as I watched it!!:laugh:

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 07:50

I saw that one yonks ago when they were 'restoring it' and they were a disaster waiting to happen.

I cannot believe they ever got it open

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 02/23/2008 - 11:39

Buy a cheap bread machine called Alice from the Co op (45 euros guaranteed for 2 years). Buy a bag of Integrale flour from Co op too (or from a friendly baker where it is cheaper). Go to Eurospin, buy bags of Tre Mulini Farina Grano Duro and Grandi Molini Italiani Farina Tipo 00 MANITOBA, (it's new to Eurospin). Into the metal "bread container" put 330 mls of water. Stand on scales and for brown bread add 200 grams Integrale flour and 406 grams Farina Grano Duro. Add 1 level teaspoon of dried yeast, white sugar and salt.
Set to cook for 3 hours, setting is 1 BASE. The loaf doesn't rise to the top but has a good texture and is delicious. The white loaf rises higher. Again 330mls water. 200 Grano Duro, 406 Farina Manitoba 1 tsp of each, dried yeast, salt and white sugar. You could use all Manitoba it's a matter of taste so just experiment. Everybody loves these breads and they make great toast and freeze well.