The ingredients of the Rubatà breadsticks are: soft wheat flour, water, baking powder and salt.
According to some bakers (in the Lanzo, Chisone and Germanasca Valleys) the traditional product should not contain fats of animal and vegetable origins. Others instead say that they may contain oil or lard (Turin). The traditional product of the Monregale area may instead also contain milk and/or butter (Cuneo). It is produced all year round.
Production Area
The Rubatà Breadsticks are traditional products of Chieri and Andezeno in the Province of Turin and Monregalese in the Province of Cuneo.
How it is made
The dough of the breadsticks is obtained by mixing the flour with the ingredients, shaping the dough, letting them rise and baking at a decreasing temperature from 250°C to 200°C. The dough is divided into small mounds that are manually rolled into elongated forms on the counter covered with a thin layer of bran crumbs. This results in the breadsticks that are irregular in shape and not longer than 40-50 cm, characterised by the imprint of the baker's fingers. The product is baked just long enough to eliminate all the water in the dough. The breadsticks are thus light and crumbly, and easy to digest. In the past, wood-burning ovens were used, instead of the electric ovens used today.
History
The term "grissino" comes from "grissia" or "gherssa," that is, the bread shape that was long and narrow, which was used in Piedmont. Further elongating the shape of the bread and making it narrower and narrower, made it a bread stick. There is much discussion on the paternity of this creation, but it is certain that it made its appearance in the mid-1600s. The term 'rubatà' means "rolled" and was served and eaten only during festivities for the well-to-do families of the 1600s and 1700s. The historical archives of the Mondovì municipality, in a document of the 1793 regarding bread tax, among other breads mentions a "long white bread called lavato and also called 'rubattato', for every pound, cost 2.4."
Interesting features
These Grissini (bread sticks) are served at the table together with the bread. Broken up bread sticks are placed in soups, dipped in sauces and make good afternoon snacks. They are also enjoyed with salami, cheeses and wine.
The Grissino Rubatà is used to prepare the so-called "Grissini Vestiti (clothed breadstick)" clothed with ham.
