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Panino, the Italian Sandwich

What is the correct pronunciation of “bruschetta”? Check out this and other often mispronounced Italian words.

In Italy, just like in all Europe and North America, a ‘panino’ (Italian for sandwich) is a popular lunch option, and in some cases also a quick dinner alternative. Italian bars often press-grill their sandwiches to enhance the flavors, turn the bread more fragrant and crunchy, and melt any cheese. However, at home, or when bakery-fresh bread is available, the Italians enjoy non-grilled sandwiches just the same.

This article describes both styles of Italian sandwich: the world-famous grilled sandwich (known as Panini) and the less known un-grilled version.

Going back to the word “panini”, in Italian it refers to all sandwiches – and it’s plural. «One sandwich» translates as ‘un panino’ (from ‘pane’, bread). «Two sandwiches» translates as ‘due panini’ and shouldn’t be re-pluralized as Paninis – it causes native Italians to cringe!

A “Panini” press

Grilled panini are prepared in a “Panini” press (called ‘piastra’, literally: plate). In Italy, they generally feature established combinations of fillings, though these combinations don’t have universally assigned names. Common types of bread used are: ciabatta, francesino (a small French-style roll), and in some cases focaccia. Classic fillings combinations are:

  • mozzarella, tomato (plus arugula and/or prosciutto cotto or crudo);
  • prosciutto cotto or crudo, fontina, salsa rosa (“pink sauce”, made of mayonnaise, ketchup and whiskey);
  • prosciutto cotto or crudo, brie (plus lettuce and/or tomato);
  • prosciutto cotto, brie, olive tapenade;
  • prosciutto crudo or bresaola, goat cheese or stracchino (plus lettuce and/or tomato);
  • speck (smoked cured prosciutto from Tyrol), brie, salsa rosa;
  • speck, goat cheese, arugula;
  • grilled vegetables and cheese (see below for a recipe).

When Italian panini are offered outside of Italy, they tend to differ quite substantially. The biggest no-no’s are the use of:

  • More than one kind of meat (although it may happen in some cases, this is very unlikely in Italy);
  • Large amounts of meat (in Italy, more than a few slices would be considered overpowering);
  • Too many ingredients (in Italy, it’s never more than 3 or 4 in total);
  • Any kind of dressing (oil and vinegar are for salads, not for sandwiches!);
  • Honey-mustard, barbecue sauce, spicy mayo (since they don’t exist in Italy).

For un-grilled Italian sandwiches, bread rolls that are light and crunchy are generally used (for instance the michetta, known in some parts of Italy as ‘rosetta’ or ‘tartaruga’). As far as fillings go, they generally include one feature ingredient, for instance:

  • prosciutto ‘crudo’ (raw, cured pork);
  • prosciutto ‘cotto’ (Italian ham);
  • coppa, also known as capicollo (also cured pork);
  • salame (cured sausage);
  • Italian bologna (not to be confused with Baloney!) and other kinds of mortadella;
  • pancetta (Italian bacon);
  • bresaola (cured beef);
  • porchetta.

Sometimes, fresh greens and/or cheese may be added to complement the flavor. For instance, prosciutto crudo may be had with ‘stracchino‘ and arugula; prosciutto cotto with fontina. Other classic options include cold frittata (e.g.: with herbs or roasted zucchini), or cold breaded veal cutlet.

~~~~~

Now, onto the recipe for the grilled panino in the picture above – a slight variation on the grilled vegetables and cheese theme, thanks to the addition of spicy roasted onions.

Ingredients for 2 panini
– One small onion (sliced)
– 2 bell peppers, red or yellow (seeded and each cut in 4 wedges)
– 2 zucchini (sliced)
– 100 g provolone, scamorza or fontina (sliced)
– one handful of fresh arugula (washed and dried)
– 1 tablespoon of olive oil
– salt and cayenne pepper

Preparation
– In a non-stick pan, roast the onion in olive oil at medium heat for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature and cook for an additional 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and cayenne pepper.
– Using a sandwich press, grill the bell peppers (lightly sprinkled with salt) for 20-30 minutes at medium heat.
– When the peppers are ready, put them aside and peel off the skin (it should come off easily – if it doesn’t, let the peppers rest for 10 minutes in a sealed zip-lock while they are still warm).
– Grill the zucchini (also sprinkled with salt) for 10-15 minutes at medium heat.
– When the zucchini are ready, put them aside and roughly wipe the grill clean, while keeping it turned on.
– Assemble the sandwich by layering the cheese, the grilled vegetables, and the roasted onions.
– Warm up the sandwiches in the press until the cheese melts. Then add the fresh arugula and serve.

More featured articles

Seven Links

A few days ago I had the honor of being nominated by Nami (@ Just One Cookbook) for the Seven Links Challenge. It consists of selecting seven of my existing posts based on as many given criteria and explaining the reasons behind the choices. So, here I go!

1. The most beautiful post

 

As my most “beautiful” post, I have chosen Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms. This is mostly because I like the picture, a lucky single shot taken on a trip to Italy. After this became my first recipe on Quatro Fromaggio, I continued posting more recipes and realized how hard food photography really is!

2. The most popular post

formaggi

According to Google Analytics, the Formaggio Cheese post is the one that reached my highest number of views so far. Several people find this article while searching for a particular type of Italian cheese. Hopefully, it answers their questions!

3. The most controversial post

pasta

Pretty much every single article on Quatro Fromaggio has some level of controversy. The whole premise of this blog is to compare authentic Italian food to its many aberrations, and my role can’t be too accommodating towards the “offenders” 🙂 In the Pasta 101 article, however, the controversy is in the reference to the Atkins debate.

4. The most helpful post

pasta-names

home-made lightbox
My home-made lightbox

Pasta Names Explained has been called out as the most informative by commenters. This makes me really happy because of the effort that went into the preparation. The collection of the various pictures was the challenge. Since I didn’t want to buy all the different types of pasta at once, I came up with a system based on a home-made lightbox that I could carry with me and use to take pictures in almost identical conditions over time.

5. The post that was surprisingly successful

pizzoccheri

I didn’t think that Google would rank Pizzoccheri della Valtellina as high as it does. In fact, most people come across this page through the search engines. Pizzoccheri is a relatively unknown dish outside of Italy – most readers are probably Italians.

6. The post that did not get the attention it deserved

Possibly because I posted it when not many people knew about this blog, but Eating Vegetarian didn’t do as well as I hoped. My fiancée is a vegetarian (and the artist who painted the above picture), and I firmly believe in yummy vegetarian food where nobody would lament the lack of meat. Italian food often qualifies as such.

7. The post I am most proud of

The research work behind Rice Demystified was one of the most productive and satisfying for me. I quickly answered my own questions and I started producing the illustrations, starting from my own scans of real rice grains. I really enjoyed that 🙂

~~~~~

And now to the part where I nominate 5 bloggers and pass the Seven Links Challenge on to them. I have chosen some that I have been following for quite some time, and that have been a great source of motivation and inspiration for me:

Asparagi alla Milanese – The Incredible Pairing of Asparagus and Eggs

Of simple Italian recipes that are almost unknown outside of Italy, Milanese-style Asparagus would probably rank near the top. This dish, traditionally associated with the city of Milan, is enjoyed all around Italy as a second course, especially in late spring, when asparagus is in season.

Before getting to the recipe, let’s spend a few words on its main ingredient. Asparagus is one of the shoots of a perennial plant called Asparagus officinalis, harvested when it reaches a length of about 8 inches and hasn’t yet developed any branches. If allowed to grow, the shoots become inedible – they gradually thin out, harden, and develop fern-like branches, up to 1.5 meters tall. Indigenous of Eurasia, Asparagus officinalis was already known in ancient Egypt, when it was eaten raw. The Greeks and the Romans are credited for learning how to cultivate it and for discovering its diuretic properties.

In North America, asparagus is mostly used as an appetizer or as a side dish (steamed, fried, or char roasted), as well as in soups and quiches. In Italy, it is also used to make one kind of risotto, in ‘frittate’, as filling for ravioli or just paired up with melted butter, eggs, and Parmigiano as in this recipe.

Asparagi alla Milanese

Yield: 2 servings

Total Time: 15 minutes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Asparagi alla Milanese

Ingredients

  • 1 kg of fresh asparagus, washed and with their bases trimmed
  • 4 tablespoons of Parmigiano, freshly grated
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 4 eggs
  • salt

Preparation

  1. Place the asparagus in a pot of salted boiling water, the spears above the waterline to be cooked by the steam. Cook for 10 minutes (15 if the stems are particularly thick). If using a large pot, the asparagus can be tied up to force them to remain vertical.
  2. Just before the asparagus are cooked, fry the eggs in butter, sunny-side-up, in a large non stick pan. Ensure the whites are fully firm, while the yolks are still runny.
  3. Gently drain the asparagus and assemble the dish in warm serving plates by layering the eggs, the asparagus (tips towards the center), and the grated Parmigiano.
https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2011/08/asparagi-alla-milanese.html

 

Insalata di Riso

‘Insalata di Riso’ (rice salad) is an informal Italian dish that is especially popular in the summer as an appetizer or as a refreshing first course, particularly for lunch. Its main component is Parboiled rice, which is the most appropriate for this preparation as its grains remain firm and separated when cooked, and stay soft when they get cold. The cooled rice is lightly dressed with olive oil and lemon juice and flavored with a variety of add-ins, according to personal preference, but also following the tradition.

Insalata di Riso

Yield: 3-4 servings

Total Time: 45 minutes

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Insalata di Riso

Ingredients

     Main

    • 1 cup parboiled rice
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
    • 100 g mild cheese (Fontina, Montasio, Raclette, Gouda), cubed
    • ½ cup Italian pickled cucumbers (no dill and no garlic!)
    • ½ cup Italian mixed 'sottaceti' (vinegar-preserved vegetables, e.g.: peppers, corn, capers, carrots, olives, fennel, artichokes)
    • ¼ cup sliced olives
    • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
    • the juice of 1 lemon
    • salt

     Other

    • pickled 'cipolline' (small onions), halved
    • pickled bell peppers, cut in small pieces
    • tuna in olive oil, crushed
    • ham, diced
    • cold roast beef or chicken, cut in small pieces

    Preparation

    1. Boil or steam the rice then spread it over a cloth and let it cool down, by the end the rice should be dry and fluffy.
    2. Meanwhile, hard boil the eggs and cook the peas, then let them also cool down.
    3. Move the rice into a bowl (fig. 1) and gently mix in the olive oil. Gather the pickled veggies (fig. 2).
    4. Gather peas, eggs (fig. 3) and diced cheese (fig. 4).
    5. Mix all of the add-ins together with the rice, then stir in the lemon juice.
    6. Adjust the salt and let the salad rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
    https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2011/08/insalata-di-riso.html

    Birthday Blog

    It has been one year already! I started this blog at the end of July 2010 out of sheer exasperation. I felt that Italian cuisine was too often completely misrepresented in North America. Not only was it not authentic (which is understandable this far away from Italy), it frequently tasted plain bad.

    With many of its principles distorted, Italian food becomes a caricature of itself. It needs to have olives and sun-dried tomatoes; bread must be foccacia or have flour on it and be called ciabbata; tomato sauce, salami, olive oil, or a balsamic reduction must be involved; there need to be mountains of parmesan and mozza, along with a mix of 20 Mediterranean spices. If short of Italian ingredients, anything Spanish or Greek will be close enough: feta cheese, kalamata olives, even chorizo…

    I understand that, just like American English has drifted from British English, Italian food in North America has evolved into its own genre. What I don’t understand is when the adjective “authentic” is still used. If you serve authentic Italian food, please:

    1. Make sure your Italian dishes exist in Italy (there is no Alfredo sauce and Spaghetti with Meatballs is extinct!)
    2. Check your recipes (whole garlic cloves have no business on any pizza!)
    3. Spell-check your menu (once and for all: it’s ‘prosciutto’, not proscuitto, it’s ‘quattro formaggi’, not quatro fromaggio!)
    4. Don’t say something is “Tuscan” just to make it sound more Italian (what is the point of serving Tuscan Chicken Pasta, when nowhere in Italy will you find chicken on any pasta?)
    5. If you serve espresso, don’t feel that you have to fill up that little coffee cup! Half-full is fine – just make sure it’s creamy.

    Over the course of the year, lots of discussions were had through comments, and a small but energetic group of friends has formed: Italians living abroad, Italians living in Italy, and foodies living all around the world. Thank you all – you are my source of motivation, and your feedback has been invaluable.

    I also would like to thank my fiancée Candace – I owe her many of the considerations on the differences in culture between Italy and North America, and she is a fantastic editor! Thanks, Candace, also for being so patient with me as I got more and more obsessed with this project. I even wonder if this should still be called a blog… on many occasions, writing the articles has required me to do quite a bit of research. But it was fun, and I learned a lot from it.

    Looking forward into year two, I am hoping to get the community even more involved. I would like this blog to become a hub for discussions around authentic Italian food and a reference for anyone interested in learning more about it. But for today, I’m just going to open a good bottle of ‘spumante’ and celebrate making it this far!

    Thanks all for reading.

    Tortiglioni all’Arrabbiata

    Sugo* all’Arrabbiata is a classic pasta sauce from central/southern Italy that can be prepared very quickly, while the pasta cooks. This sauce is traditionally quite spicy, and this is at the origin of its name (all’arrabbiata, in Italian means ‘angry-style’). If desired, a milder version can be made, but a certain amount of heat is necessary to counter the acidity of the lightly cooked tomato and enhance its flavor. (*Sugo is another name for ‘salsa’, sauce.)

    Tortiglioni all’Arrabbiata

    Yield: 2 servings

    Total Time: 20 minutes

    Prep Time: 10 minutes

    Cook Time: 10 minutes

    Tortiglioni all’Arrabbiata

    Ingredients

    • 500 g peeled diced tomatoes (fresh or from a quality can)
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 chili pepper (whole or seeded if a milder sauce is desired), minced
    • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
    • some fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
    • 150 g dried short pasta (e.g.: tortiglioni, rigatoni, penne)
    • salt

    Preparation

    1. Mince chili pepper and garlic (fig. 1).
    2. In a large non-stick pan, fry garlic and chili pepper in olive oil for 2 minutes (fig. 2).
    3. Add the diced tomatoes (fig. 3), cook at medium heat for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
    4. Boil the pasta in plenty of salty water for the time indicated on the box.
    5. Add the well drained pasta to the pan and toss for 1 minute at high heat (fig. 4).
    6. Take off the heat, sprinkle with parsley, serve immediately.
    https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2011/07/tortiglioni-allarrabbiata.html

    The Italian Courses

    Italians like structure in the way they eat. To them, the balance between the different courses of the meal is as important as the balance between the ingredients of each dish. In Italy, eating is far more than nutrition, it’s a moment of aggregation where families, friends, colleagues get together, relax and participate in the dining ritual. This article describes a typical everyday meal (at home or in an informal restaurant) and compares it with the bigger and fancier meal reserved for special occasions (a wedding, for instance).

    What is the correct pronunciation of “bruschetta”? Check out this and other often mispronounced Italian words.

    In Italy, even the most informal meals commonly include multiple courses. This doesn’t mean that people eat more food – the various courses are a way to break down the meal into different sections, add variety and create a progression. Appetizers and first courses come first because of their delicate flavors (and textures); second courses follow with their stronger elements; desserts, coffee, and liquors are reserved to end the meal. The subdivision into courses also introduces pauses, which in some cases are intentionally extended to give the diners the necessary time to rest their palate, and socialize.

    In this article we will be referring to both lunch (“pranzo”) and supper (“cena”), as the mid-day meal and the evening meal. As for the early-day meal, please see the post on breakfast (“colazione”).

    Everyday meals

    Everyday meals generally only include a first course (“primo piatto” or simply “primo”) and a second course (“secondo piatto” or “secondo”), plus possibly some fruit (“frutta”) and coffee (“caffé”).

    • The first course is usually based on dry pasta, gnocchi, ravioli, or rice (“risotto”). First courses don’t need any sides and they are not accompanied by bread. Mostly during winter, and especially for dinner, the first course can take the form of a soup, which may contain pasta or rice or may be served with croutons (“crostini”).
    • The second course is centered on a protein – typically meat or fish, but also cheese or eggs. Second courses are normally served with one or more side dishes (“contorni”), such as salads or roasted vegetables. They are usually eaten with bread, polenta (boiled cornmeal), or boiled rice.

    The structure of everyday meals may seem somewhat similar to North America, where it’s common to have soup or salad as a first course, a main course, and dessert. The difference is that the Italians put a lot more emphasis on the first course, so much so that the second course loses the title of ‘main’.

    Formal meals

    Italian formal meals always begin with a starter course (“antipasto”), and continue with one or more first courses, one or more second courses (meat or fish, sometimes interleaved with a lemon sorbet as a palate cleanser), a cheese course (“formaggio”), desserts, a fruit course, coffee, and liquors. One or more second courses may be replaced by a “piatto di mezzo” (a soufflé or a “torta salata”, similar to a quiche).

    • For starters, a selection of appetizers is a must. They may be in the form of pre-assembled platters, or, more informally, they can be brought to the table in serving dishes, or even presented in a self-service buffet (see the article on antipasto).
    • First courses have elaborate preparations and sometimes make use of expensive ingredients (e.g.: truffles, seafood). When more than one first course is served, the portions of each become smaller. In some cases, a sampler of primi containing 2 or 3 dishes on the same plate may be offered; this, however, is becoming more and more uncommon.
    • Second courses also have a refined presentation and sophisticated ingredients. With respect to North America, the meat portions are smaller to compensate for a filling first course. In restaurants, for some meat or fish dishes, a chef may plate each portion in front of the diners by working in a carving or plating station set up next to the dining table. If both a fish secondo and a meat secondo are served in the same meal, it’s customary to serve them in that order and to interleave a sorbet (usually lemon) as a palate-cleanser. If all second courses are based on meat, or if there is only one second course, then a sorbet may be served between first courses and second courses.
    • Formal meals often have an entire course dedicated to cheese, either in the form of pre-assembled samplers, or where a selection of cheeses is presented on serving trays. In some cases, aged cheeses are paired up with jams (especially figs and pears jams), aromatic honey (e.g.: chestnut tree honey), or mostarda.
    • Desserts are also a must in formal dining. In restaurants, a daily selection of cakes, pastries or tarts is often presented on a serving cart for each diner to choose from.
    • The fruit course may be prepared in a salad (called “macedonia”), and optionally served with ‘gelato’. In winter, a combination of dried fruit and fresh fruit might be offered.
    • Coffee is always served. In restaurants, it’s in the form of espresso; at home, it may be from a home-espresso machine or a ‘Moka’.
    • Liquors often conclude the meal because, like sweets, they quench the appetite. They are normally digestive bitters (“amari”). However, grappa, Sambuca, amaretto, nocino, and especially limoncello are also common.

    Note that the aperitif (aperitivo) – an appetizer drink generally accompanied by a light snack – is not part of the courses as it’s usually had some time before the meal, possibly even in a different venue.

    Bread and wine

    In both informal and formal setups, bread is very important to the Italians (so important that any food that comes with bread is generically called “companatico”). Individual buns and sliced loaves may be served in a basket, or set directly on the table. Butter is not part of the tradition, though in some cases unsalted butter curls may still be served. Bread may be had as a snack before the primo – sometimes in the form of breadsticks (“grissini”) – and it always accompanies the second course. In informal setups, it’s acceptable, after the primo, to use a few bread chunks to wipe up any pasta sauce that may be left on the plate. This practice, called “scarpetta” (little-shoe) is however never used after eating risotto, as its cream (made of starch) is not technically a sauce.

    Wine, somewhat common in everyday meals (especially for dinner), becomes mandatory in formal dining – and it must be of high quality. First courses, “piatti di mezzo” and fish courses are paired up with white wines or light reds. Meat-based second courses, instead, require stronger red wines. See the article on wine for more information.

    Further Readings

    For more information, check out 10 Facts About Italian Food, an interesting article on some of the less known misconceptions about Italian food.

     

    More featured articles

    Home-Style Pizza

    Unless you have a brick oven in your backyard, you can’t quite make pizzeria-style pizza at home; the regular kitchen oven simply can’t reach high enough temperatures. It is, however, possible to approximate the flavors of a pizzeria-style pizza by using a few expedients.

    There is more than one way to make home-style pizza. A pizza stone, for instance, can work really well but it requires time and practice.  The method that I am about to describe makes use of a perforated pizza tray. I find it easier and quicker and the results, in my opinion, are comparable.

    As usual with Italian cuisine, quality and simplicity of the ingredients are essential. Pre-made bread shells, pizza sauce, and pizza mozzarella must be avoided! Here is what you need:

    Home-Style Pizza

    Yield: 2 servings

    Total Time: 30 minutes

    Prep Time: 15 minutes

    Cook Time: 15 minutes

    Home-Style Pizza

    Ingredients

    • 1 perforated pizza pan
    • 450 g bread dough (from a bakery or bought frozen)
    • ¾ cup uncooked strained tomatoes (fresh or from a quality brand, e.g: Mutti, Pomì, Molisana)
    • 300 g fresh bocconcini mozzarella
    • some extra-virgin olive oil
    • one pinch of salt
    • one pinch of dried oregano (optional)
    • some fresh basil leaves (optional)
    • moderate amounts of your favorite toppings (I used capers and onions)

    Preparation

    1. First, warm up the oven to 450 °F (240 °C). Allow 15 minutes for the oven to fully reach its temperature.
    2. Flatten the bread dough into a disc that fits the pan. The dough should feel fluffy and slightly elastic. If it's too elastic, give it some time to relax its gluten strands.
    3. Unless you are using a non-stick pan, coat the pan very lightly with some olive oil, then transfer the dough onto it (1).
    4. Add the strained tomatoes, a pinch of salt, the oregano and any toppings that need to be fully cooked, e.g.: onions, fresh mushrooms, peppers (2).
    5. Half-bake the pizza base for 7 minutes. This allows the dough to cook through, without the weight and moisture of the cheese.
    6. While the base cooks, chop the mozzarella in small bites and prepare any additional toppings that don't need to be fully cooked, e.g.: capers, olives, ham.
    7. Remove the pan from the oven (3) and quickly add the cheese and the remaining toppings. Put the pan back in the oven.
    8. When the cheese is completely bubbly and starting to brown in some spots (after about 7-8 minutes), the pizza is ready (4).
    9. Add a drizzle of olive oil or of chili oil (if desired) and the basil leaves, serve immediately.

    Notes

    The perforated pizza pan is essential to allow the dough to cook evenly without becoming crunchy. Its holes allow excess moisture and the CO2 produced by the leavening process to escape so that the dough can cook rapidly without forming bubbles. The thin aluminum allows the pan to match the temperature of the dough that lays on it, preventing any hardening.

    https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2011/07/home-style-pizza.html

    The Magic of Autogrill – Highway Restoration, Elevated

    If you are Italian, or if you have driven around Italy, you are probably familiar with “Autogrill” as a chain of restaurants that serve the highways all throughout the country.

    What is the correct pronunciation of “bruschetta”? Check out this and other often mispronounced Italian words.

    But even if you are unaware of Autogrill, every time you travel you are actually exposed to the Autogrill Group, a catering giant that runs several licensed franchises (including Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Starbucks) in the airports, train stations and ports of over 40 countries worldwide (including USA, Canada, and Australia).

    Even though the Autogrill Group is based in Italy, to most Italians “Autogrill” is just the generic name of the restaurants located on the highway – even of the ones that are run by the competition (e.g.: Chef Express, Ristop), or that are branded differently because of their size (e.g.: Ciao, Spizzico). And this despite the fact that Autogrill restaurants are nowadays common also in major city centers. The Autogrill name is so universal that in the rest of this article we will also use it as a synonym of highway restaurant.

    Italians like Autogrill because it’s familiar and reliable, because it’s good value for money, and because it can be conveniently accessed without leaving the highway. This detail is particularly important, given that most Italian highways are toll roads and exiting them requires the drivers to go through the time-consuming pay booths. Foreigners like Autogrill because it involves very little interaction with (Italian speaking) staff, and because of the high quality of its food, especially compared to the greasy North American road-side restaurants.

    The bridge-style Autogrill (above), from the inside.
    The bridge-style Autogrill (above), from the inside.

    All Autogrill are located in regular service stations. The smaller ones may consist of just a coffee bar and are generally only moderately busy. The larger Autogrill, and particularly the bridge-style ones (which go across the entire highway and are accessible from both travel directions), can instead attract large amounts of customers, especially around lunch and dinner time. They are structured for maximum efficiency and divided into three main sections:

    • A mini-supermarket with snacks and regional foods (such as olive oil, dried pasta, wine, cheese, cured meats), over-the-counter drugs, toiletries, batteries, newspapers and magazines; tobaccos and pre-paid phone cards can be purchased at the cashier.
    • A coffee bar which sells espresso drinks, pastries, and (often) grilled sandwiches (‘panini’, in Italian, plural of ‘panino’), such as Camogli (made with focaccia, Italian ham and swiss), Rustico (with pancetta, smoked provolone and tomatoes) and Fattoria (with speck and fontina cheese).
    • A separate cafeteria-style restaurant.

    The restaurant is, in its turn, divided into two sections: the actual self-service (which ends at the cashier), and a sitting area where the purchased meal can be consumed.

    A meal for two: penne all'arrabbiata, linguine al pesto, cheese plate, red wine, sparkling water, and bread.
    A meal for two: penne all’arrabbiata, linguine al pesto, cheese plate, red wine, sparkling water, and bread.

    When entering the self-service, each diner takes a tray and loads it with what they prefer. Drinks (including beer and wine) are directly available for pickup, and so is a fairly large selection of cold dishes (appetizers, sides, fresh and aged cheeses, freshly baked bread, fruit, and desserts). Hot courses are instead plated to order by an attendant. Most Autogrills offer a choice of two or three first courses (e.g.: pasta and risotti) and a couple of second courses (e.g.: meat and fish). After filling the tray, the customer brings it to the cashier who often offers to add an espresso to the bill (the coffee is meant to be had at the bar after the meal). The sitting area is basic but comfortable. The tables are kept clean by staff (though racks for used trays are provided to the customers), dressing and condiments (oil and vinegar, salt and pepper) are available, as well as cutlery and additional napkins. Occasionally, microwaves ovens for re-heating are also provided; if they are missing, plastic heat-keeper domes may be available to help keep plates warm.

    In conclusion, Autogrill is dear to the Italians and very much part of their collective imaginary. Every aspect of this Italian icon reflects the spirit of Italy, from the mini-supermarket that resembles the neighborhood shop, to the traditional coffee bar, to the family-style food served in the cafeteria. For those rushing through Italy in their first European trip, Autogrill can give a pretty good snapshot of Italy and of the Italians and shouldn’t be missed.

    For more information, check out the official webpage of Autogrill.