A slice of toasted Tuscan bread, i.e. roasted in the oven or on the grill, on which garlic is rubbed to melt and seasoned with extra virgin olive oil (even better if the oil is new, i.e. the first oil obtained from the first olives of the new harvest), salt and pepper.
Bruschetta is very similar to fettunta, and is of Lazio and Abruzzo origin. Bruschetta is usually topped with very ripe chopped tomatoes, while in Tuscany and Umbria it is often topped with a spoonful of beans, or with truffled mushrooms and black truffle.
Today it is served as an appetiser, in the past it was mostly eaten as an afternoon snack. It was eaten even if it was not possible to grill the bread, removing the garlic and replacing it with a dash of vinegar. It goes without saying that it becomes essential to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
Tuscan bread
Garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Although elementary, the preparation must be done, as the smallest mistake changes the end result. For example, overcooking makes the bread slice too dry and the burnt part takes on an unpleasant bitter taste. It is therefore necessary to cut the slices of bread slightly thick; once grilled over wood embers or, failing that, heated in the oven, they should be toasted, with dark streaks without being burnt; then, rubbed on both sides with a clove of garlic and seasoned with oil, salt and pepper to be served immediately.