Panini - Italian Sandwich

When we lived in Naples, Italy, I often went to outdoor markets. They sold practically everything, food, clothes, kitchen utensils etc. I love the Italian sandwich called “panino.” They use a hard crust baguette type bread and put prosciutto ham, mozzarella cheese and tomatoes inside. One day when I was shopping at a market, I saw one guy working at a panini shop and he was carrying these big loaves of bread under his arms. It was a hot summer day, he was sweating and he had a tank top shirt on. I lost my appetite instantly. But don’t let that visual stop you. Panini are delicious!

Italian bread is delicious and there are many kinds. The one I particularly liked was a huge dome shaped bread about 30 cm in diameter. The crust is hard, but the inside is firm and soft. My Japanese friends called it “zabuton bread” meaning “big pillow bread.”