the best dinner-saving allies
Have you ever had guests suddenly swoop into your house?
If the answer is no you have been very lucky, or you have not many friends....
If, however, the answer is yes then you will have bumped into the fateful line:
AND NOW WHAT DO I COOK?
*I recommend you check out our recipe Friselle with chickpeas, cherry tomatoes and basil, so you can get some ideas*.
This is where our beloved Friselle, or known in Bari as cialdèdd’ aka waffle. A trusty ally for preparing dinners, lunches or aperitifs on the fly with an all-Apulian taste known the world over.
A story born on the open sea.
It is thought that at the time of the Phoenicians Approximately 2 billion frisels were consumed at sea!
(Number provided by my vivid imagination). They were an ideal food above all because of its long shelf life, so great to keep at sea for a long time and easy to spice up. In fact they were softened with seawater and seasoned with olive oil.
Moreover, the shape is not random at all; in fact, it was designed to make the product easily transportable, a string was passed through the central hole and tied to the bags so they could be carried around, and also easier to store since they had a flat shape they could be easily stacked. This method was used by Crusaders during victualling. (Branch of the military commissariat's activity related to food distribution).
The name Frisella is derived from the Latin "frendere" i.e., breaking,
since by wetting the frisella
the same may be broken into small pieces.
Well, yes, but are bruschetta and frisella the same thing?
Let's assume that this is a legitimate question, especially if you are about 6 years old, and of course answering it is courtesy so let's clarify.
FRISELLE
- They have the typical tarallo shape, with a central hole or without sometimes.
- They are made with durum wheat semolina flour, water and yeast and are baked twice to give the "biscuit" effect.
BRUSCHETTE
- These are slices of bread that are passed on the griddle, in a frying pan or in the oven to toast.
- A "long" bread such as Altamura bread is usually used to make the slices.
Basically these are the major differences, actually they are two totally different products having two types of processing. One thing in common, however, we can find in the "seasonings," that is, you can season them as you like because they both go well with everything!
Article edited by: Giorgia Loconsole