Bread AND Butter

[GailnBrad]

I love all the Italian bread...but I like it smothered in butter. Will I be able to ask for butter or will restaurants be offended with that request?

[Keith1010]

You can ask for butter if you would like.

 

Of course, it's healthier to not smother the bread with butter.

 

Keith

[-Lew-]

How about dipping it in garlic infused olive oil? Heaven on earth...

 

Lew

[CathyCruises]

Interesting that in Tuscany, and perhaps elsewhere, they make the bread without any salt! That took some getting used to--the butter helped. We were happy to get to France and their wonderful bread after a month!

[Keith1010]

How about dipping it in garlic infused olive oil? Heaven on earth...

 

Lew

 

Now this is a good idea.

 

Olive oil is indeed good for you.

 

Keith

[lisiamc]

How about dipping it in garlic infused olive oil? Heaven on earth...

 

Lew

 

There will likely be a bottle of olive oil on the table, or on a shelf nearby. but unlikely to be a little saucer of garlic-infused olive oil for dipping. I only seem to see that in the USA.

 

Lisa

[maryann ns]

You may not always be able to get butter and it may come on ice as happened to us once.

[euro cruiser]

Odds are, if you find a bottle of oil on the table, that you are in a restaurant that either caters to Americans, or which has adapted to accommodate us.

 

I went to cooking school in Tuscany several years ago and I remember our chef/professor telling us that "only you Americans play with oil" and "if the chef wants you to have oil with the bread, he will send it to the table that way". He was, as you can tell, a bit of a snob, but he did cause me to pay a little attention to how bread is served in restaurants there.

 

Note, too, that if you get butter, it will likely be unsalted. And, as Cathy already pointed out, that the bread in Tuscany is unsalted. To my American tastebuds, it's uneatable. However, if eaten with the food, as intended, it all comes together because the food in Tuscany tends to be heavily salted.

[-Lew-]

 

There will likely be a bottle of olive oil on the table, or on a shelf nearby. but unlikely to be a little saucer of garlic-infused olive oil for dipping.

They do have saucers in Italy. All one needs to do is ask.

 

Lew

[alexandra cruiser]

strange answers,,,depends on town and each restuarant,,,some gave it to me but sort of pouted,,,,most waiters ,,said,,,we just serve it plain,,,,odd,because my Italian grandma ALWAYS gave us butter,,,,and jam,,hahaha ,,,with her homemade bread,,,of course,,,was living in US then....so its hit or miss....just dunk is sauce,,,and all will be happy...:)

[KirkNC]

strange answers,,,depends on town and each restuarant,,,some gave it to me but sort of pouted,,,,most waiters ,,said,,,we just serve it plain,,,,odd,because my Italian grandma ALWAYS gave us butter,,,,and jam,,hahaha ,,,with her homemade bread,,,of course,,,was living in US then....so its hit or miss....just dunk is sauce,,,and all will be happy...:)

 

We have not seen butter normally served but we have frequently seen olive oil available. Funny I thought that was a European thing.

 

Kirk

[cruisemom42]

In my experience, if you are served something with bread, it's likely to vary by region:

 

Olive oil with bread -- southern Italy and Spain

 

Aioli with bread -- southern France

 

Butter with bread -- northern Italy and France

 

 

Of course, as some have pointed out, in Italy bread is often viewed more as a vehicle for sopping up the sauce, not to be eaten with olive oil or butter!