When you’re ordering takeout, your main meal is pretty important, but just as important are the sides. For example, you can’t really have a complete Italian takeout meal without garlic bread. It’s buttery, garlic-y, and the perfect addition to a meal of pizza, pasta, or other Italian favorites. So when you’re ordering takeout in Haverhill from Nelly’s Kitchen, don’t forget to round out your order with some garlic bread!
But how much do you know about this simple and familiar addition to your favorite Haverhill takeout? Some facts about it may surprise you!
We can trace it back to Ancient Rome.
Like so many staples of Italian cuisine, garlic bread has its roots in Ancient Rome. It is actually quite similar to bruschetta, which was much simpler in its earliest forms than it is today. The word “bruschetta” comes from the Latin word brusicare, which means “to burn” or “to toast.” What we know as garlic bread today is similar to bruschetta alla romana. This was a simple food of toasted bread covered in olive oil, garlic, and salt. Garlic is easy to grow in southern Italy, so it appears in many dishes that originate in that area. Bruschetta alla romana was also considered a poor person’s food because it was typically made with day-old bread.
Italian immigrants brought it to America.
Another thing that is true of many Italian foods is that they came to America with the immigrants, and garlic bread is no exception. The type of garlic bread that most of us are familiar with is an invention of Italian immigrants who arrived in America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Butter was easier to find than olive oil, and French baguettes were easy to source from their immigrant neighbors. Because baguettes were the preferred style for garlic bread, some people thought it was a French food. But French bread was just affordable and easy to find. Butter, garlic, and herbs are certainly thanks to the tastes of the Italian-American population.
Complete your Haverhill takeout order with garlic bread!
At Nelly’s Kitchen, we make good food that you know and love. Next time you’re looking for takeout in Haverhill, you can’t go wrong with anything on our menu. And don’t forget the garlic bread!