If you have already been in Tuscany, you might have noticed that local bread is missing one ingredient.. salt! As a matter of fact, Tuscan bread is intentionally made without salt.. but why?

Legend has it that in 1100, during the war with Florence, Pisa blocked the trade of salt, which became so hard to find and expensive to buy that those who could afford it would only use it to conserve food but not for making bread.

According to another version, during Medieval times, the local tax on salt was so prohibitive that the Tuscan population stopped using it, and even once the tax was lifted, the tradition of the ‘saltless’ bread remained.

This also led the locals to combine bread with typical Tuscan products, which resulted in today’s traditional dishes such as Pappa al Pomodoro (a tomato, basil and bread soup); Crostini con Fegatini di Pollo (toasted bread with chicken liver); and Panzanella (a fresh summer salad with juicy tomatoes, cucumber and bread).

Source: Maremmans Blog