Schiacciatina Mantovana (also known as chisolina) is a type of crunchy, rectangular or square-shaped flatbread from Mantua, with an ancient history – under the name schizzadas, they were even known during the rule of Gonzaga family, a famous Italian dynasty whose heads ruled Mantua from the 14th to the 18th century.
Back in those days, it was an ancient bread of the farmers, who used to eat it when they went out to work in the countryside. Made with flour, water, yeast, lard, salt, and olive oil, schiacciatina can be enriched with onions, rosemary, or pork cracklings.
A real Tuscan specialty originating from the historical region of Garfagnana, schiacciata con ciccioli, locally known as ciaccia coi ciccioli, is a type of focaccia-style flatbread studded with crunchy pork cracklings. Its name stems from the Italian schiacciare which means "to press" or "to flatten".
In the past, this flavorful oven-baked delicacy was a staple food and the traditional primo colazione or the first morning meal of Tuscan farmers who used to enjoy their ciaccia with a glass of hearty red wine. Today, ciaccia coi ciccioli can be found in bakeries throughout Tuscany; it is freshly baked and dished up all day long, not just for breakfast.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Traditionally prepared in fall to celebrate the Tuscan grape harvest, schiacciata con l'uva is considered a typical Florentine dessert or snack, even though it is often said to be of ancient Etruscan origin. It is a type of sweet, double-layered, focaccia-style flatbread studded with fresh grapes, typically of the fragrant Isabella variety.
Known in Italy as uva fragola (lit. strawberry grapes), these aromatic red grapes are prized especially for their sweetness, which wonderfully complements the olive oil scented bread. This Tuscan treat can only be found in September and October, and once the harvest is over, it takes a whole year for the flavorful schiacciata con l'uva to appear again in local bakeries, when it can be enjoyed freshly baked not only for breakfast but at any other time of the day.
Schiacciata di Pasqua is a traditional sweet bread hailing from Tuscany. This fluffy sweet bread is flavored with aniseed, and once it's sliced, the aroma of aniseed fills the room. The ingredients include flour, sugar, butter, olive oil, eggs, yeast, aniseed, vin santo, Sambuca or Strega liqueur, honey, salt, grated orange rind, and grated lemon rind.
Schiacciata di Pasqua should ideally be prepared on Good Friday so that it's ready for Easter Sunday. The process of preparation is long, and originally this sweet bread was a 19th-century tradition of using up the abundance of eggs in springtime.
Once baked, enjoy it by dunking a piece in a glass of vin santo.
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