Italy: World’s favourite Ciabatta Bread?

Rome The rustic ciabatta loaf, known internationally as a quintessential Italian bread, looks like it could have crowded beside bowls of hearty stews and fresh farm-picked vegetables on trattoria tables since the Renaissance.

But its artisanal appearance belies its surprisingly recent invention. As it became the favorite sandwich bread and a symbol of Mediterranean cuisine in the minds of consumers around the world, the story of its birth got quietly forgotten. But a visit to a small northern Italian city reveals the real and somewhat cunning history of this famous loaf.

“A lot of people think that ciabatta bread has been around for centuries,” says chef Francisco Migoya and author of The Modernist Bread. “It’s got this rustic, organic look and hits on those ancient artisan chords, but nothing could be further from the truth.” In fact, ciabatta is one of the few breads that have a known date and location of invention and a traceable history. “Breads get made and it’s not usually in the news,” says Migoya, “this is one of the few to go viral, so to speak.”