L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano I talian sandwiches are more than the ubiqui- tous panini we find in a l m o s t e v e r y c a f é around the world (but not in Italy). In reality, il Bel- p a e s e h a s a n e n o r m o u s regional sandwich culture, and many of its best are con- nected so closely to specific towns and local habits that they barely exist outside their place of origin. S o m e b e c a m e f a m o u s nationwide, and you are cer- tainly familiar with them, at least by name: Florence has the panino al lampre- dotto, filled with thin slices o f s l o w - c o o k e d t r i p e a n d b r i g h t g r e e n s a l s a v e r d e . Around Rome, especially in the Castelli Romani area, porchetta sandwiches remain a staple during village festivals and market days, with warm slices of herb- r o a s t e d p o r k t u c k e d i n t o crusty bread – this is perhaps one of the "local" sandwiches that became more popular across the country, along with Bologna's panino con la mortadella, of course, which is perhaps the most quintessential Italian sand- wich of all. Further South, Naples has its panuozzo, somewhere between a sand- wich and a pizza, baked from p i z z a d o u g h a n d u s u a l l y stuffed with sausage, friariel- li, pancetta, or melted cheese. Elsewhere, the sandwiches become even more local, like in Salento, where puccia changes from town to town depending on the fillings and bread style. In Palermo, pani câ meusa, stuffed with spleen and lung cooked in lard, remains one of Sicily's m o s t i c o n i c e x a m p l e s o f street food, while along the Ligurian coast, focaccia is often split open and filled with anchovies, vegetables, or soft cheese. Then there are the sand- wiches that almost nobody outside their region knows about anymore, sa sandwich- es tied to old places and old m e m o r i e s , t i m e s t h a t n o longer exist in reality but remain vivid – and beautiful- ly so – in memories. About one of them, I have direct knowledge and would like to share it with you. This humble sandwich is tied to a single train station i n C e v a , a s m a l l t o w n i n southern Piedmont near the Langhe hills, where it was introduced by Pietro and Angelina Benedetto, who took over the station buffet in the 1930s. Today, the station is relatively quiet, but for decades, it was crowded with travelers heading toward the Ligurian coast, and its café was once one of the busiest places in town – incidental- ly, also where my grandfather went, perhaps a little too often, to buy cigarettes. The panino con la frittata became part of the journey i t s e l f a l o n g t h e T o r i n o - Savona railway line: during station stops, vendors moved along the platform with carts while passengers leaned out of the train windows to buy sandwiches before departure. In summer, the trains filled with families carrying bags, umbrellas, and beach gear on their way to the sea, and the panino was a must on the trip. At one point, according to local stories, it became so famous that the recipe itself was allegedly valued at sever- al million lire. I, too, often took the same train not to go to the sea, but to visit my grandparents' rel- a t i v e s i n t h e p r o v i n c e o f Alessandria, where they orig- i n a l l y c a m e f r o m : r e s t a s s u r e d t h a t t h e f r i t t a t a sandwich was a staple of my trips, as well. We used to travel on the old orange-and- pale-yellow trains that, as a child, I called the "arancione limone" because of their col- ors. The sandwich itself was s i m p l e : u s u a l l y t w o t h i n (around 1/2 cm) slices of soft herb frittata inside a small b i o v a o r r o s e t t a ( r o u n d , crusty rolls). Local descrip- tions mention eggs mixed with seasonal greens and aro- matic herbs such as parsley, basil, mint, oregano, wild rocket, chicory, escarole, and dandelion greens gathered around the Ceva area. Some mention breadcrumbs, oth- ers a little grated cheese; some insist mint was essen- tial, while others remember stronger bitter greens inside the frittata. One thing every- one seems to agree on is that the frittata was intensely herbaceous and that it stayed soft and fairly pale. As you can guess, finding an official recipe is almost impossible, but perhaps this is part of the sandwich's charm. As railway culture slowly declined and more people began traveling by car, the carts disappeared from the platforms, but our panino con la frittata didn't retire. For a while, it survived in motorway cafés and auto- grills along the Turin-to-sea r o u t e b e f o r e g r a d u a l l y b e c o m i n g h a r d e r t o f i n d . Even the historic station buf- fet eventually closed down in 2022 – and served the sand- wich as its specialità until the end. For some time, we thought i t w a s g o n e , f o r e v e r p r e - served in our memories but never to be enjoyed again, until local café La Vecchia Latteria in Ceva revived the tradition for a new genera- tion of customers. Of course, I had to try it and see if it tasted like the original: it is certainly just as delicious, but something seems to be miss- ing. That may be just me, though: what I miss are those childhood trips on the "aran- cione limone" and the smiles of those who traveled with me. The recipe As said, there isn't an offi- cial recipe, but a reconstruct- ed traditional version of the sandwich would probably look something like this: Ingredients (for about 4 sandwiches) 8 large eggs 2 c u p s f i n e l y c h o p p e d m i x e d g r e e n s ( e s c a r o l e , chicory, spinach, dandelion greens or similar) 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 1 tablespoon chopped basil 1 tablespoon chopped mint 1 teaspoon oregano 1 small garlic clove, finely minced 2 t a b l e s p o o n s b r e a d - crumbs 2 t a b l e s p o o n s g r a t e d Parmigiano (optional) Olive oil Salt and black pepper 4 round crusty rolls (locals in Piemonte would use roset- ta or biova-style rolls) Preparation Wash and finely chop the greens and herbs. Heat a little olive oil in a pan and lightly cook the gar- lic. Add the greens and cook briefly until softened, then let cool slightly. Beat the eggs in a bowl and mix in the greens, herbs, b r e a d c r u m b s , a n d g r a t e d cheese if using. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the frittata slowly over medium-low heat so it remains soft and fairly pale rather than dark brown. Slice the frittata and place it inside crusty rolls while still slightly warm. FRANCESCA BEZZONE Porchetta sandwiches are traditionally associated with central Italy, but today they are enjoyed everywhere in the country, especially during fairs and festivals (Photo: Shutterstock) LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES S a n d w i c h e s w o r t h c r o s s i n g I t a l y f o r : f r o m P a l e r m o t o Piedmont

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