{{Short description|Italian white bread}} {{Distinguish|Shibata (disambiguation)}} {{Infobox food | name = Ciabatta | image = Ciabatta cut.JPG | image_size = | caption = | alternate_name = | country = Italy | region = Veneto | creator = | course = | type = Bread | served = | main_ingredient = Wheat flour or whole-wheat flour, water, yeast, salt | variations = }}

'''Ciabatta''' ({{IPAc-en|tʃ|ə|ˈ|b|ɑː|t|ə|,_|-|ˈ|b|æ|t|-}}, {{IPA|it|tʃaˈbatta|lang}}; {{literally|slipper}})<ref name="Oxford Companion"/> is an Italian white bread created in 1982<ref name='baking-history'/><ref name='briccosalumeria'/> by a baker in Adria, in the region of Veneto.<ref name='baking-history'/><ref name='briccosalumeria'/> Ciabatta is somewhat elongated, broad, and flat, and is baked in many variations, although distinctive for its large holes. Ciabatta is made with a strong flour and uses a very high hydration dough.<ref name='Guardian-1999-1'/><ref name='briccosalumeria'/><ref name='baking-history'/>

==Etymology== The name was given to the bread because of its flat, oval shape. In Italian, the word {{lang|it|ciabatta}} means 'carpet slipper'.<ref name="vocabulary" />

==Italy== Ciabatta bread was first produced in 1982,<ref name="baking-history" /><ref name="briccosalumeria" /> by Arnaldo Cavallari, who called the bread {{lang|it|ciabatta polesana}} after Polesine, the area he lived in. The recipe was subsequently licensed by Cavallari's company, Molini Adriesi, to bakers in 11 countries by 1999.<ref name="baking-history" /><ref name="briccosalumeria" /> The recipe for ciabatta came about after several weeks of trying variations of traditional bread recipes and consists of a soft, wet dough made with high gluten flour.<ref name="Guardian-1999-1" />

Many regions have their own variations on the original recipe or a bread that closely resembles ciabatta and has become accepted as a variety of ciabatta; the ciabatta from the area encompassing Lake Como has a crisp crust, a somewhat soft, porous texture, and is light to the touch. The ciabatta found in Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche regions varies from bread that has a firm crust and dense crumb to bread that has a crisper crust and more open texture. In Rome, it is often seasoned with marjoram.<ref name=theartisan/>

New variations of the recipe continue to be developed. Whole-wheat ciabatta is known as {{lang|it|ciabatta integrale}}, and when milk is added to the dough, it becomes {{lang|it|ciabatta al latte}}.<ref name=theartisan/>

==Other countries== Ciabatta bread was introduced to the United Kingdom in 1985 by Marks & Spencer, then to the United States in 1987 by Orlando Bakery, a Cleveland firm.<ref name='Guardian-1999-1'/><ref name=orlandobaking/>

==See also== {{Portal|Italy|Food}} * Venetian cuisine

==References== <references> <ref name="Oxford Companion">{{cite book | title = The Oxford Companion to Italian Food | last = Riley | first = Gillian | author-link = Gillian Riley | page = 129 | publisher = Oxford University Press | location = Oxford, UK | year = 2007 | isbn = 9780198606178 | lccn = 2007012080 | access-date = 20 January 2015 | url = https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont0000rile/?view=theater | url-access = registration}}</ref> <ref name=theartisan>{{Cite web | title = Ciabatta Bread Suite | url = http://www.theartisan.net/Ciabatta_Suite_Frameset.htm | website = www.theartisan.net | access-date = 20 September 2015}}</ref> <ref name='Guardian-1999-1'>{{cite news | first = Robin | last = Stummer | title = The secret life of ciabatta | date = 30 April 1999 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1999/apr/30/features11.g24 | work = The Guardian | access-date = 13 December 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210208203606/https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1999/apr/30/features11.g24 | archive-date = 8 February 2021 | url-status = live}}</ref> <ref name='briccosalumeria'>{{cite web | title = Ciabatta vs Baguette | date = 30 April 2021 | url = https://www.briccosalumeria.com/2021/04/30/ciabatta-vs-baguette/ | access-date = 3 September 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210101000000/https://www.briccosalumeria.com/2021/04/30/ciabatta-vs-baguette/ | archive-date = 1 January 2021 | url-status = live}}</ref> <ref name='baking-history'>{{cite web | title = Ciabatta | date = 14 June 2020 | url = https://baking-history.com/ciabatta/ | access-date = 3 September 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210101000000/https://baking-history.com/ciabatta/ | archive-date = 1 January 2021 | url-status = live}}</ref> <ref name=orlandobaking>{{cite web | title = Orlando Baking Company | url = http://www.orlandobaking.com/index.php?location=OBC/history | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150221032022/http://www.orlandobaking.com/index.php?location=OBC%2Fhistory | archive-date = 21 February 2015 | url-status = dead }}</ref> <ref name='vocabulary'>{{cite web | title = Ciabatta - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | url = https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ciabatta | access-date = 23 March 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240323160610/https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ciabatta | archive-date = 23 March 2024 | url-status = live}}</ref> </references>

==External links== {{Commons category}} {{Wiktionary|ciabatta}} {{Cookbook|Ciabatta}} * [https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/ciabatta_85453 BBC Food ciabatta recipe]

{{Italian bread}}

Category:Cuisine of Veneto Category:Italian breads Category:Yeast breads Category:Products introduced in 1982 Category:Food and drink introduced in 1982