grissini

Grissini is the plural of grissino, from Piedmontese gherssin, a diminutive of gherssa (a type of bread). The word is Piedmontese, not standard Italian in origin, which reflects the fact that grissini are a Turinese invention. The breadsticks are long, thin, and dry — baked until all moisture is gone, which makes them keep for weeks and snap with a sharp crack when broken.

The traditional story credits a baker named Antonio Brunero in 1679, who made elongated bread for the young Duke Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy, a sickly child who could not digest regular bread. The doctor, Don Baldo Pecchio, prescribed a bread with no soft crumb, only crust. Whether this story is true or not, grissini were established in Piedmont by the seventeenth century. Napoleon was famously fond of them and had them sent from Turin to Paris.

Grissini come in two forms: grissini stirati (stretched, irregular, hand-made) and grissini rubatà (rolled, uniform, thinner). The stirati version is the original — each breadstick is stretched by hand, producing an uneven shape. Industrial production standardized the shape, and most grissini outside Piedmont are now machine-made. The hand-stretched version is still produced in traditional bakeries in Turin.

In Italian restaurants worldwide, the basket of grissini has replaced or supplemented the basket of sliced bread. They are sometimes wrapped in prosciutto as an appetizer. They appear on charcuterie boards, at wine bars, and at catered events. The sickly duke's prescription became a universal garnish.