THE "GRISSINO" (BREADSTICK)

One of the symbols of Piedmontese cuisine, and especially Turin cuisine is the breadsticks. The breadstick is also one of the most famous products of Piedmontese cuisine abroad.

Its origin seems to merit of Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy, or better than his doctor. To give the young member of the Savoy family, who could with difficulty in digesting the crumb of bread, the doctor around 1675 gave directions to Antonio Bruer baker to produce the breadsticks. Breadsticks were the rapid diffusion both in Piedmont and in the rest of the country thanks to the ease of digestibility and retention.

Even Napoleon adored breadsticks Piedmont and called them "petites batons de Turin" and it seems he did send directly from Turin to Paris. The italian name "GRISSINO" derives from the "GHERSA", the classic bread Piedmont, elongated. The form of breadsticks oldest and most traditional is undoubtedly rubatà or robatà (the pronunciation is still "rubatà" which in Piedmont dialect means "roll") of variable length from 40 to 80 cm, easily recognizable by the characteristic knots, due to processing hand. The Rubatà of Chieri is included in the list of traditional Italian food products Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. In the same way are regarded as areas of production of the classic rubatà from Turin, the area of Andezeno and Monregalese.

The only other form of traditional protection and breadstick Grissino Half bordered. In more recent than the invention of rubatà, differs from these because the dough, instead of being machined, rolled, curtains flap is stretched to the length of the arms of the bakery, which gives greater friability to the final product. Especially this type of work allowed the mechanized production as early as the eighteenth century.

Piedmont, Italy