These grissini are a wonderful snack, antipasto (if served with ham or cheese), a delicious bread substitute and a smart idea for your kids’ and picnic lunchbox,

A bit of history: Grissini, or Traditional Italian Bread Sticks, originated in Torino (Turin) in Piemonte, a region of northwest Italy. Grissini were actually invented around the end of the 17th century to cure the health problems of young Duke Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy.

The duke had difficulty digesting most foods and the court doctor commissioned a baker from Torino, Antonio Brunero, to create something that the young duke could digest. Antonio decided to take a part of the dough used to make ghersa, a typical bread of Torino, and stretch it out into long, thin strips. Once baked, the thin bread sticks were crisp and easy to digest. His creation was a great success and became so popular, it entered the daily life of the Torinesi – and later the whole of Italy. [http://www.claudiosspecialtybreads.com/history.html]photos coco zordan

TRIVIA: There’s this way of saying in italian: ” magra come un grissino” “you are as thin as a breadstick”, and there was a time when people would reduce bread consumption in favor of grissini thinking that they were less caloric. Probably not true but these grissini are a wonderful snack, antipasto (if served with ham or cheese), a delicious bread substitute and a smart idea for your kids’ and picnic lunchbox.