Ancient snacks are those simple and authentic preparations that grandparents ate as children, to stave off hunger between meals or to recharge after a day's work. These humble recipes, born from the need to make the most of available ingredients and avoid wasting anything, conceal authentic flavor and a fascinating history. Let's take a look at some of the most popular ancient snacks and how they've evolved over time.
1. Fried Bread
Fried bread is one of the simplest and tastiest ancient snacks, consisting of dipping pieces of stale bread, thus making use of the leftovers, in beaten egg and then frying them in boiling oil until crispy and golden: a sort of French toast with a local sauce. Once drained, it was seasoned with sugar, but also with honey, chocolate, or jam. Fried bread has very ancient origins; it is said that it was already known by the ancient Romans, who called it "panis fritus." Besides being delicious, it was also very filling and nutritious, thanks to the presence of egg.
2. Bread and Milk Soup
It's one of the most nutritious and comforting ancient snacks, consisting of cooking stale bread in hot milk until it becomes a thick, fragrant cream. Bread and milk soup can be flavored with sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, or cocoa powder. It was a typical snack for peasant families, who had access to fresh milk from their cows and homemade bread, but it was also a way to give energy to children and the elderly, especially in the winter months. Today, bread and milk soup is still a comforting and delicate snack, but also an alternative breakfast or light dinner.
3. Beaten Egg
A beaten egg is one of the most protein-rich and flavorful ancient snacks, consisting of beating a raw egg yolk with sugar or honey until it becomes a thick, sweet foam. It was a popular snack among children and young people, who ate it to boost their energy and vitality. It was also a natural remedy for fatigue, anemia, and colds. Today, beaten eggs are less popular as a snack due to the risk of salmonella.
4. Sweet Polenta
Another recycling recipe that involves using leftover polenta from the day before, which is cut into slices and pan-fried, grilled, or fried. It can then be topped with sugar, honey, butter, cheese, or dried fruit. It was a typical snack in mountainous or rural areas, where polenta was a staple of the diet. Sweet polenta was also a way to use corn flour, which was cheaper and more readily available than wheat flour.
5. Bread, Butter and Sugar
Bread, butter, and sugar is one of the sweetest and most delicious ancient snacks, consisting of spreading a thin layer of butter on a slice of toast, melting it on top, and sprinkling it with granulated or powdered sugar. Bread, butter, and sugar can be enjoyed as is, or accompanied with fresh or dried fruit. It was a typical snack for bourgeois families, who could afford butter, considered a valuable and expensive food. The cheaper version was made with oil and sugar, which were available at more affordable prices.
6. Bread and Grapes
Bread and fruit is one of the oldest and most popular food combinations, based on the principle of contrasting sweet and salty, hot and cold, hard and soft. However, not all types of fruit are suitable for pairing with bread, as they can cause digestive problems or impair nutrient absorption. Among the recommended ones was bread and grapes, a seasonal snack eaten in autumn, when grapes were ripe and abundant. It was also a way to appreciate the fruits of the earth and the farmers' labor.
Savory Snacks
But some people just can't stand sweets, and perhaps that's why, or perhaps just to make the most of everything they had at home, savory snacks were invented.
1. Bread and Tomato
Today we'd simply call it panzanella, but the idea of rubbing a ripe tomato on a slice of stale homemade bread was born to avoid wasting anything, not even stale bread. Lightly soaked in water, then seasoned with salt, oil, and oregano, it was a typical snack in rural areas, where tomatoes were abundant and bread was homemade. Bread and tomato was also a way to quench one's thirst and cool off during the summer months.
2. Bread and Cheese
Staying within the rural context, bread and cheese was also a popular snack. Whether it was fresh or aged didn't matter; it was made from sheep, goat, or cow's milk. And it was also a great way to get protein and calcium.
3. Bread and Anchovies
Moving to coastal areas, however, it was easy to prepare bread and anchovies as a snack: preserved in oil or salt, the anchovies were drained of excess seasoning and placed on a slice of toasted bread. The wealthier could also afford to drizzle them with a little butter.
Whether sweet or savory, these are snacks that are less common today due to changing eating habits, but they are snacks that deserve to be rediscovered and appreciated for their authentic flavor and timeless appeal.
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