Bruschetta

Tomatoes release juice immediately after cutting — it soaks into the bread. The solution: dice tomatoes, salt them, let sit 10 minutes, drain the liquid. Rub the bread with garlic and drizzle with oil right before serving, add topping at the last moment. In Italian restaurants the topping is often served separately so guests assemble it themselves — the only way to keep crunch for longer than 2 minutes.

In the original it is Tuscan rustic bread on sourdough without salt — dense with a thick crust, it holds up well on the grill. Ciabatta also works perfectly: large holes hold the oil and don't go soggy. A baguette is worse — too thin and stales quickly. The key criterion: the bread must be grilled or baked at high heat to a crispy crust.

For classic bruschetta — no, the skin stays. Seeds and liquid are better removed: halve the tomatoes and let drain in a colander. Skin doesn't need to go — the texture is more interesting with it. Exception: if using large beef tomatoes with tough skin, peel them or use cherry tomatoes which have thin delicate skin.

The word bruschetta comes from bruscare — 'to char over coals.' In the original it is bread toasted on an open fire, rubbed with raw garlic and drizzled with good olive oil — that is all. The tomato topping (bruschetta al pomodoro) is a variation popularized outside Italy in the 1990s. Italians eat bruschetta as bread, not as a dish piled with toppings.

For bruschetta, oil is the main ingredient — so the difference is enormous. You need Extra Virgin first cold press, ideally from Tuscany or Apulia — they give a green, spicy, slightly bitter flavor that is the soul of the dish. Refined or blended oil gives a flavorless result. Simple rule: if the oil tastes good eaten with bread on its own, it is right for bruschetta.