View source for Ciabatta

{{Short description|Italian white bread}}
{{Distinguish|Shibata (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox food
| name            = Ciabatta
| image           = Ciabatta cut.JPG
| image_size      = 
| caption         = 
| alternate_name  = 
| country         = [[Italy]]
| region          = [[Veneto]]
| creator         = 
| course          = 
| type            = [[Bread]]
| served          = 
| main_ingredient = [[Wheat flour]] or [[whole-wheat flour]], water, [[Baker's yeast|yeast]], salt
| variations      = 
}} 

'''Ciabatta''' ({{IPAc-en|tʃ|ə|ˈ|b|ɑː|t|ə|,_|-|ˈ|b|æ|t|-}}, {{IPA|it|tʃaˈbatta|lang}}; {{literally|[[slipper]]}})<ref name="Oxford Companion"/> is an [[Italian cuisine|Italian]] [[white bread]] created in 1982<ref name='baking-history'/><ref name='briccosalumeria'/> by a baker in [[Adria]], Veneto, in response to the popularity of French [[baguette]]s.<ref name='baking-history'/><ref name='briccosalumeria'/> Ciabatta is somewhat elongated, broad, and flat, and is baked in many variations, although unique for its [[alveolar]] holes. Ciabatta is made with a strong flour and uses a very high [[Baker percentage#Dough hydration|hydration]] [[dough]].<ref name='Guardian-1999-1'/><ref name='briccosalumeria'/><ref name='baking-history'/>

==Etymology==
The name was given to the bread because of its flat, oval shape. In [[Italian language|Italian]], the word {{lang|it|[[:it:Ciabatta|ciabatta]]}} means 'carpet slipper'.<ref name="vocabulary" />

==Italy==
Ciabatta bread was first produced in 1982,<ref name="baking-history" /><ref name="briccosalumeria" /> by Arnaldo Cavallari, who called the bread {{lang|it|ciabatta polesana}} after [[Polesine]], the area he lived in. The recipe was subsequently licensed by Cavallari's company, Molini Adriesi, to bakers in 11 countries by 1999. Cavallari and other bakers in Italy were concerned by the popularity of sandwiches made from baguettes imported from France,<ref name="baking-history" /><ref name="briccosalumeria" /> which were endangering their businesses, and so set about trying to create an Italian alternative with which to make sandwiches.<ref name="baking-history" /><ref name="briccosalumeria" /> The recipe for ciabatta came about after several weeks of trying variations of traditional bread recipes and consists of a soft, wet dough made with high [[gluten]] flour.<ref name="Guardian-1999-1" />

Many regions have their own variations on the original recipe or a bread that closely resembles ciabatta and has become accepted as a variety of ciabatta; the ciabatta from the area encompassing [[Lake Como]] has a crisp crust, a somewhat soft, porous texture, and is light to the touch. The ciabatta found in [[Tuscany]], [[Umbria]], and [[Marche]] regions varies from bread that has a firm crust and dense crumb to bread that has a crisper crust and more open texture. In [[Rome]], it is often seasoned with [[marjoram]].<ref name=theartisan/>

New variations of the recipe continue to be developed. [[Whole-wheat flour|Whole-wheat]] ciabatta is known as {{lang|it|ciabatta integrale}}, and when [[milk]] is added to the [[dough]], it becomes {{lang|it|ciabatta al latte}}.<ref name=theartisan/>

==Other countries==
Ciabatta bread was introduced to the United Kingdom in 1985 by [[Marks & Spencer]], then to the United States in 1987 by Orlando Bakery, a [[Cleveland]] firm.<ref name='Guardian-1999-1'/><ref name=orlandobaking/>

==See also==
{{Portal|Italy|Food}}
* [[Venetian cuisine]]

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="Oxford Companion">{{cite book
| title        = The Oxford Companion to Italian Food
| last         = Riley
| first        = Gillian
| author-link  = Gillian Riley
| page         = 129
| publisher    = Oxford University Press
| location     = Oxford, UK
| year         = 2007
| isbn         = 9780198606178
| lccn         = 2007012080
| access-date  = 20 January 2015
| url          = https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont0000rile/?view=theater
| url-access   = registration}}</ref>
<ref name=theartisan>{{Cite web
| title        = Ciabatta Bread Suite
| url          = http://www.theartisan.net/Ciabatta_Suite_Frameset.htm
| website      = www.theartisan.net
| access-date  = 20 September 2015}}</ref>
<ref name='Guardian-1999-1'>{{cite news
| first        = Robin
| last         = Stummer
| title        = The secret life of ciabatta
| date         = 30 April 1999
| url          = https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1999/apr/30/features11.g24
| work         = [[The Guardian]]
| access-date  = 13 December 2013
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210208203606/https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1999/apr/30/features11.g24
| archive-date = 8 February 2021
| url-status   = live}}</ref>
<ref name='briccosalumeria'>{{cite web
| title        = Ciabatta vs Baguette
| date         = 30 April 2021
| url          = https://www.briccosalumeria.com/2021/04/30/ciabatta-vs-baguette/
| access-date  = 3 September 2021
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210101000000/https://www.briccosalumeria.com/2021/04/30/ciabatta-vs-baguette/
| archive-date = 1 January 2021
| url-status   = live}}</ref>
<ref name='baking-history'>{{cite web
| title        = Ciabatta
| date         = 14 June 2020
| url          = https://baking-history.com/ciabatta/
| access-date  = 3 September 2021
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210101000000/https://baking-history.com/ciabatta/
| archive-date = 1 January 2021
| url-status   = live}}</ref>
<ref name=orlandobaking>{{cite web
| title        = Orlando Baking Company
| url          = http://www.orlandobaking.com/index.php?location=OBC/history
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20150221032022/http://www.orlandobaking.com/index.php?location=OBC%2Fhistory
| archive-date = 21 February 2015
| url-status   = dead
}}</ref>
<ref name='vocabulary'>{{cite web
| title        = Ciabatta - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
| url          = https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ciabatta
| access-date  = 23 March 2024
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20240323160610/https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ciabatta
| archive-date = 23 March 2024
| url-status   = live}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wiktionary|ciabatta}}
{{Cookbook|Ciabatta}}
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/ciabatta_85453 BBC Food ciabatta recipe]

{{Italian bread}}

[[Category:Cuisine of Veneto]]
[[Category:Italian breads]]
[[Category:Yeast breads]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1982]]