Tramezzino
● ItalyThe Tramezzino was invented in 1925 at the Caffè Mulassano in Turin, in northern Italy, where the bar owners Angela and Onorino Nebiolo wanted to create an Italian alternative to the English tea sandwich for the city's elegant aperitivo crowd. The name was coined by the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, who suggested tramezzino, a diminutive of tramezzo, meaning between or in the middle, as a deliberately Italian replacement for the English word sandwich. The format spread quickly through northern Italian bars and cafes, becoming a particular fixture of Venice, where Tramezzini stacked behind glass cases on every bacaro (wine bar) counter became part of the city's daily rhythm. The Venetian version is famously generous with the filling, with the bread bulging upward in a triangle so dramatic that the sandwich looks almost overstuffed. Common fillings, tuna and olive, prosciutto and artichoke, egg salad with shrimp, became standardized over the 20th century.
The Tramezzino is a fixture of Italian cicchetti culture, small bites eaten while standing at the bar, paired with a small glass of wine (an ombra) or a spritz. In Venice, eating Tramezzini with friends in the late afternoon is a tradition that hasn't changed much in nearly a century. The sandwiches are typically displayed in tall glass cases, and you order by pointing at the variety you want. They are quick, cheap, and democratic, a few euros buys you a proper snack at almost any neighborhood bar. Outside northern Italy, true Tramezzini are surprisingly hard to find, even in Rome and Naples, because the format never spread south. The crustless white pan bread is also distinctive, Italians are usually committed to crusty bread, and the Tramezzino is one of the few exceptions to the rule.
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Ingredients
- 4 slices soft white pan bread (pane in cassetta), crusts removed
- 1 can good-quality oil-packed tuna, drained
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp finely chopped pickled green olives
- 1 hard-boiled egg, mashed (optional)
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Method
- Mash the tuna with mayonnaise, olives, and egg in a small bowl until creamy
- Spread the filling generously on two slices of bread, mounding it slightly in the center
- Top with the remaining bread slices and press the edges to seal
- Cut each sandwich diagonally into two triangles, leaving the centers slightly bulging
- Cover with a damp cloth until ready to serve to keep the bread soft