Panzanella: A Salad Made from Bread, and a Word That Brings Us Together
How a humble dish—and its ancient name—remind us that bread has always meant food, connection, and companionship.
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In Good Company
Before I share my panzanella recipe with you (don’t worry, it’s coming), I want to linger for a moment on the word itself—panzanella. The pan in panzanella means bread, and it comes from the Latin panis, which also gave us the Spanish pan, the Italian pane, and the French pain, for example. But panis itself comes from an even older root—pa—an Indo-European word meaning to feed or protect.
That same root also gave us the English word food (under a series of sound changes known as Grimm’s Law, the Indo-European p sound became an f sound in the Germanic languages, including English).
In other words, bread isn’t just a side dish—it’s foundational. So foundational, in fact, that it shows up in the very words we use to describe eating and connection:
Companion – from com- (with) + panis (bread) → someone with whom you share bread; a friend at the table
Company – originally referred to a group of people who shared bread together
Accompany – from ad- (to) + com- (with) + panis (bread) → to go with someone, just as you would join them in a shared meal
Pantry – from panis (bread) → the place where bread was stored; now expanded to include all food storage
Panini – plural of panino, meaning a small sandwich in Italian
Empanada – from Spanish empanar, meaning “to wrap or coat in bread” → a pastry filled and enclosed in dough, rooted in the tradition of encasing food in bread
Panettone – from Italian panetto (small loaf) + suffix -one (large): a festive sweet bread traditionally eaten at Christmastime in Italy
Panzanella – from pan (bread) + possibly zanella (a deep bowl): a traditional Italian bread salad that transforms stale bread into a flavorful dish
Bread, quite literally, brings us together.
Which is why it makes perfect sense that, instead of wasting bread that had gone stale, people would find a way to turn it into something beautiful—and delicious.
That something is panzanella: a traditional Italian bread salad that likely began as part of cucina povera—the “cuisine of the poor”—a style of cooking rooted in resourcefulness, simplicity, and making the most of what’s available. In this case, it was a practical way to use up stale bread and combine it with fresh vegetables from the garden.
The first mention of panzanella appears in the 1500s in a poem by Bronzino—though back then, it didn’t include tomatoes (they hadn’t yet made their way to Italy).
Today, it’s one of my favorite things to make in the summer, when tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and basil are at their peak. And yes, it’s plant-based and perfect for vegetarians and vegans—it always has been.
Panzanella (Tuscan Bread Salad)
Ingredients
5 to 6 medium tomatoes, cut into large chunks
4 to 6 cups (360 to 540 g) day-old crusty bread (Italian or French), cubed
1 medium hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and chopped
½ small red onion, finely chopped
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons capers, drained
20 large basil leaves, chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons high-quality balsamic or red wine vinegar
¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Combine the tomatoes, bread, cucumber, onion, garlic, capers, and basil in a large bowl. Drizzle with vinegar and olive oil, then toss well. Season with salt and pepper. Let marinate, covered, at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, up to 12 hours. (Avoid refrigerating—tomatoes don’t love the cold.)
Serve at room temperature.
Yield: 8 generous side servings
Tip: If your bread isn’t stale, cube it and bake at 200°F (95°C) for 10–15 minutes—just until dry, not toasted.
Modifications: Add olives, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, mint, parsley—or a splash of red wine.
Reprinted with permission from The 30-Day Vegan Challenge. Find more recipes and inspiration in my store or books. Speaking of books, the 2011 edition of The 30-Day Vegan Challenge went through so much trauma including a legal threat by my first publisher, leading to Random House taking the book off of the shelves and pulping thousands of copies as per the legal settlement. Devastated but undeterred, I raised money to self-publish a new version, which is what still exists today. This lil’ video was a thank-you video to everyone who had funded it through a crowd-funding campaign in 2015 — now 10 years ago! (I can’t believe that much time has passed!)
Anyway, enjoy the video version of this recipe. It really is delish!
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