Pane e Pomodoro: A Classic Italian Comfort Food

The Scent of an Italian Summer

Photo by Alexandr Istomin on Unsplash

This is one of the simplest yet most delicious recipes you can find in Southern Italian rustic cuisine.
We're not really sure where it came from, but it's definitely from after the 1500s, when tomatoes arrived in Spain from the Americas. 

Pane e Pomodoro, which translates to "bread and tomatoes," is now considered the best comfort food in the kitchens of Apulian grandmothers.

In my house, we used to enjoy Pane e Pomodoro as a snack on summer afternoons. I still remember the crisp fragrance of the slice of bread, the rich taste of olive oil accompanied by light salty notes, and the sweet yet sour and savoury flavour of tomatoes. 

It's a mix of flavours and contrasts that will win you over at first bite.

How to make Pane e Pomodoro:

Ingredients for two:

• 2 slices of rustic bread, possibly from durum wheat flour

• about 8 ripe cherry tomatoes

• a pinch of salt

• a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

• oregano

Procedure:

First, break open the cherry tomatoes strictly with your hands and squeeze them between your fingers to get the pulp and juice out, then rub them on the slice of bread. 

Then, add a pinch of salt, a drizzle of oil, and a sprinkle of oregano.

Simple as that!

Cost for two people:

Approx. 2-3 EUR/USD

Buon appetito!