Tuscany and other areas of central Italy don’t put salt in their bread. What gives? #shorts
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45 Comments
Throwing a lot of shade at Tuscany in particular, but nearby regions in central Italy also don't salt their bread (see the shaded map in the video). I want to hear from you if you're from this area. Have you heard similar stories about why your bread has no salt? Do you prefer it made that way or…?
This was something we came across while working on the video about Doritos and MSG: https://youtu.be/ue0xQZ_thA4
The funny thing is that, even when living in other areas of Italy with excellent bread, they search bakeries owned by other people from Tuscany just to buy saltless bread, even if it's at the opposite part of the city!
I am Tuscan (born and raised in Siena). The tradition of bread without salt (or "pane sciapo", as we call it) dates back to the 12th century, i.e. even before Dante wrote the Divine Comedy ("Tu proverai sì come sa di sale lo pane altrui", "You will try how someone else's bread tastes of salt", Paradiso, Canto XVII).
There are two hypotheses for our usage of bread without salt. According to the prevailing hypothesis, the Pisans began to make their Florentine rivals pay dearly for the large quantity of salt that landed in the Tuscan port of Pisa. The Florentines, in a typically Tuscan style, responded to the neighbors' move by starting to produce salt-free bread.
Another theory states that, in order to avoid the taxes of the Florentines, the Tuscan bakers began to bake bread without salt.
Ultimately, the fiscal origin of bread without salt (whether it is a consequence of Pisan or Florentine politics) seems undeniable, given that in Lucca, Pisa, Massa and Carrara – which were not part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany – bread does have salt.
What a perfect loop XD
Tuscanians devastated this country. And bread
Who puts salt in bread?!? Bloody yanks!
I love these shorts!!!
Cool but how does this relate to the Swiss
I'm Tuscan, born and raised between Firenze and Arezzo. After all of these years, I still don't understand why. The beef with the pope and Pisa is probably the origin, and nowadays, it is a tradition basically. The positive thing is that it's healthier
I have been to Tuscany, I do not like their bread. They should try adding some salt.
Who else misread "bread" as 'beard' ?
As a baker I just wanna throw in that removing salt from a bread dough doesn’t only affect the taste..
Now Salt bae will open a restuarang there.
Salty cheese crumbles
WHEN DO I RECIEVE MY NEBULA WITH MY CURIOSITY SUBSCRIPTION AS PROMISED?
Maybe Tuscany was just to salty to have salt in bread
Chief, gonna need you to take the MF Gluten outta the MF bread.
We can't, it's GLUTEN-FREE.
I don't care if it's free, take that sh- out the MF bread.
Please speak in Hindi
Dante in the XVII canto of Paradise meets his ancestor called Cacciaguida, who prophesied the exile from Florence will tell him "You will try it as it tastes like salt other people's bread"
I am from Tuscany and the question should be : Why do you put salt in bread?
because the Italians in that area have delicious food and developed a palate. Johnny Harris is an American. he never grew up developing his palate like most French and Italian from that area have.
Lmoo why tf the pope gets tax more
Seems to me that your running out of interesting things to talk about
Nepal makes salt, Harry, go figure that quandary.
Deer's lick salt, why is there a term "salt-lick"?
Etc
It is not salted bc they make olive oil from this region and in order to sample the oil best they use bread with out salt.
I’m from Italy (Sardinia) and the first time I went to Tuscany as 13 y/o junior high student I was shocked to eat unsalted bread. After 30 years I still don’t like it at all 😂
Live in Pienza, close to Siena. The saltless bread Is and higly engeenered food, this bread last many days, usually It was cooked once a week
You don't need salt in the bread. You're welcome.
Why do Americans put sugar in their bread. JFC!
More importantly:
Why is Tuscany's salt bread-free?
Too much salt can kill off some of the yeast in the dough, so no salt bread has maximum leavening. It's s matter of preference, and it doesn't make much difference with modern yeasts, but it can affect wild yeasts more dramatically. The question is really what variety of yeast was prevalent when the tradition began?
Why is American salt bread-free? That's the real question. I want a slice in every shaker.
I explored Tuscany in assassin's Creed 2 a long time ago. Hopefully I'll travel there some day because Tuscany looked so beautiful in the video game lol
Saltless bread sounds yucky!
Can you do how regional films are competing with Hollywood? there should be a theory or a phenomenon to explain that. Example: a small village in south india made a movie called RRR which won golden globe award.
Johnny's tongue: *doesn't feel salt in the bread.
Johnny's mind: – "I have a feeling a Salt War is involved."
there is salt in bread?
I prefer saltless bread. I don't need more salt in my food. "These pretzels are making me thirsty."
When I was studying in Italy my host father told me that back in medieval times Florence was having a war with Pisa and because of this Pisa cut all salt trade with Florence, after the conflict people got so use to the flavor that they decided to keep it saltless. Now I don't know if any of this is true but this will forever be the reason for saltless bread in my head-cannon
My theory is that since Rome stole the Tuscan Arch and turned it into the Roman Arch that Tuscany made it a rule that they wouldn't put salt in their bread because Rome liked salt in their bread.
LOL
Can you speak Hindi
I think Pasta Sciocca also originates there. It's pasta without salt 🤢
Salt!
The the way the area works LG
born in Tuscany but have relatives all over Italy, they constantly complain about Tuscany's saltless bread… funnily enough I barely notice and enjoy all sorts of bread 😋 local ham tends to be way saltier vs say Parma ham so perhaps even if this seems to have a fiscal origin I was unaware about, maybe that's why it stuck…