Chie hat pane, mai no morit

Ancient Sardinian proverb, "With bread, you will never die"

Italy's panefici (bread bakers) bake a great variety of breads ranging from pizza rustica and calzoni to taralli and crostini. Much like the production of specialties like cheese and prosciutto, the flavors and types of Italian bread generally very from region to region. With variation in elements like water, ingredients, and climate, you are certain to find great differences between the breads of, for example, Venice and Bari. One thing is common to all of Italy, however: bread is life, still practiced according to tradition and always a living part of everyday Italian cuisine.

Altamura

Altamura, a Puglian city 40 kilometers west of Bari, is renowned for its rustic Italian breads. Joe had the chance to visit a bakery in Altamura, where he was able to watch the production of pizze and pane di Altamura, the traditional bread of the region.

The breads of Altamura acquire their unique taste from the water in the Puglian region, the strength of the sale del mare (sea salt), and the wood ovens in which they are baked. The distinctive ovens are hundreds of years old, and some of them can hold up to 800 loaves of bread at a time.

Rome

The Romans take their bread very seriously. Although bread as we know it did not begin to evolve until well into the time of the Ancient Romans, bread was a centerpiece of Roman culture and cuisine. Breakfast included bread soaked in red wine, lunch featured bread to complement vegetables or olives, and bread was eaten at dinner with eggs or honey. Bread was literally as good as gold to many Romans--soldiers of the Empire were given a kilogram of bread per day as their ration, which they could sell or trade. As we saw, Romans still carry on their tradition, producing some of the most famous breads in all of Italy.

Forno

Campo De' Fiori

Il Campo de' Fiori, or "Field of Flowers," is a piazza lined with fruit, vegetable, flower, and craft vendors six mornings a week.

Around the perimeter of the piazza are cafès, restaurants, and bakeries. One bakery in particular, Forno, caught our attention, and after tasting their pizza bianca, we realized why this is the most famous bakery in Rome. Forno, named after the Italian word for oven, has been baking rustic Italian breads since the 1880's. Pizza Bianca, or "white pizza," is unlike pizza as we know it in the United States. It is a simple bread dough brushed with olive oil and salt, then baked. Forno sells their pizza bianca by the piece, and we saw Italians buying piece after piece, most of them at least a foot to two feet long. The six of us must have eaten at least six times that amount. The best way to eat pizza bianca is fresh from the oven, but any way you eat it, you are bound to become addicted.

After returning from Italy, Joe experimented with making pizza bianca several times, and honestly, we couldn't tell the difference between his and the pizza we had at Forno. You'll soon get your chance to sample this wonderful rustic pizza right here in Point Pleasant Beach--within the next several months, Joe Leone's will be selling its own pizza bianca, handmade by Joe Leone.