It is a flat bread that traditionally substituted the everyday bread in our countryside being low cost and easy to make.
Its name is ‘torta al testo’ because it is cooked on the ‘testo’, made of concrete or refractory earth (today also of metal) heated putting it in direct contact with heat sources; better on a fireplace, following the ancient tradition, covered in ashes and embers, today is also cooked on the gas cooker or inside the oven.
It can be served with dried meats, cheeses, vegetables or meat. It is still today one of the most often found food in the country fairs in our territory. It is called with different names: ‘torta al testo’ around Perugia, ‘crescia’ in Gubbio, ‘ciaccia’ in the high Tiber area.
Recipe
(Boini Rita, La cucina umbra: sapori di un tempo, Calzetti Mariucci, 1998)
Persons: not said
Ingredients:
500 gr flour, 1 pinch of baking soda, 1 pinch of salt, water.
Preparation:
On a pastry board make a well in the centre of the flour, mix with the salt and baking soda and water as needed for a soft but consistent dough. Make a round shaped disk the same diameter of the ‘testo’ and pinch it on the surface with a fork. Heat the ‘testo’ – to chech it sprinkle a pinch of flour that has to become brown but not burnt. Place the ‘torta’ on it and cook it on both sides; serve it still hot.