Bruschetta is a traditional appetizer that's nowadays popular throughout the world. In its simplest form known as fettunta, this classic appetizer consists of a grilled slice of bread rubbed with garlic and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.
According to Marcella Hazan, a cookery writer and one of the foremost authorities on Italian cuisine, the history of bruschetta dates back to ancient Rome – its name stems from the old Latin bruscare (meaning “to roast over coals”).
Once merely a snack of Italian farmers and olive pickers, the versatile bruschetta has grown into one of the most delicious antipasti Italian cuisine has to offer. Nowadays, bruschetta comes in virtually infinite varieties: spread with bell pepper, mushroom, eggplant, or zucchini pâtés, and topped with small chunks of eggplant, figs, scamorza cheese, mozzarella, or even anchovies, prosciutto, or various types of salami.