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Been Driving Me Nuts

post #1 of 9
8/21/09 at 11:26am
Thread Starter 
Been wondering about this for awhile, and finally decided to ask.

What, if anything, is the difference between a crostini and a bruchetta? Anybody know?
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post #2 of 9
8/21/09 at 12:04pm
After checking a couple of spots on ask.com this is what I found : bruchetta is usually larger slices of bread toasted and topped most of the time ( but not always) with olive oil, garlic, tomato and basil. Crostini is made from smaller slices of toasted bread, often from a baguette, and can be topped with veggies, cheeses, or spreads among other things. Not a huge difference.

Hope that helps,

Willie
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post #3 of 9
8/21/09 at 12:08pm
I am thinking with "brushcetta", the bread must be grilled and the toppings are limited to cheese and vegetables...in the traditional sense.
With "crostini", the bread is usually toasted or even fried, and the toppings are not as limited. They may include mousses, protiens, vegetables, etc.
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post #4 of 9
8/21/09 at 12:16pm
Crostini's are good plain , or for making canapes, they do not get soggy. Plus they are normally bite size. Bruchetta is traditionally tomatoes. basil, hint garlic and seasonings and drizzled with olive oil, although today, they are putting everything on it lemon grass , chopped peeled grapes etc??????:chef:
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post #5 of 9
8/21/09 at 1:41pm
Actually bruschetta is fundamentally toasted casareccio bread (large-holed, rough big artisan type bread), with garlic rubbed on it and olive oil, salt and sometimes pepper.
Anything else added is an extra, but i;ve never (ever) seen them with cheese.
tomatoes are common, but if you just ask for bruschetta in Rome, at least, you get just bread, garlic and oil. If you want tomato you ask for it, or in rome they sometimes call it panzanella, though that is used elsewhere to refer to a bread-based salad, with tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.
Crostini depend on the region. In Roman pizzerie they;re usually slices of baguette type bread, lined up or overlapping, with something like prosciutto and mozzarella, or anchovy and mozzarella on top, then it;s put in the pizza oven to toast and melt the cheese.
In tuscany it;s like canapes usually involving liver and vinegar spread on them, but i think can be made different ways.
For bruschetta (broos-keht-tah) think rough kind of thing, simple peasant food, for crostini think something more refined, maybe.
Then, of course, there can be more regional variations i don;t know about. But cheese on bruschetta - never saw or heard of it. (Not that you can't do it, there are no bruschetta police, but if you want to know what the words refer to in italian, there is no cheese)
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post #6 of 9
8/21/09 at 1:55pm
I have seen and have eaten it in many places here they sprinkle it with Reggianno or Loccattelli.. Dont know if its right, but it taste good.
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post #7 of 9
8/21/09 at 3:15pm
Thank you very much for this pronunciation guide!, Siduri! I'm very, very tired of hearing "broo-SHET-ta", even in Italian restaurants in this part of the world. When I order it, pronounced correctly, I'm usually "corrected" by the waitstaff. It's one of my pet peeves. That, and pronouncing my state, Wisconsin, as "Wess-KON-sin". :D

I also find interesting that there's so much variability to this simple dish in Italy. I suppose most cultures have a dish or two with wide variations.
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post #8 of 9
8/22/09 at 1:41am
Oh dear, how does one pronounce Wisconsin?
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post #9 of 9
8/22/09 at 7:09pm
Thanks Siduri!

I always enjoy your explanations :) I had thought that traditional bruschetta was a toasted bread, rubbed with a cut clove of garlic...sprinkled with olive oil and salted. But, unless you live in the region in question you just never know how accurate the information is.

But your extended explanation about Italian food is always a joy to read. thanks!
dan
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