Friselle

The frisella resembles a crisp doughnut but it is actually made from durum wheat flour and its origins are extremely ancient. It would seem that friselle first appeared around the X century, when merchants were forced to undertake many months of sailing to reach the most flourishing markets. Of course, at that time, few foods lent themselves to storage and friselle, once dried, could be kept for lengthy periods. However, dried friselle were too hard to be eaten in the same way as bread so they had to be softened in sea water and dressed with extra virgin olive oil.   

In the course of time, this simple, humble fare became a delicacy and a distinctive element of Southern Italy's culinary tradition. Today, friselle are still prepared in the same way, that is to say, they are sprinkled with water and seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, salt and tomatoes, in the same way as their close cousin, the bruschetta.