Origin place card
Montecalvo Irpino
Verified history
The source attests adherence to a very old recipe; no date is given.
Ingredients
Local durum wheat flour, water, 'crescente' (sourdough leaven).
Method
Hand-kneaded with fists to form air bubbles; first rise in wooden case; round loaves rise again in wicker baskets; a cross is cut on top; baked in wood-fired oven; keeps ~1 week.
Why travel for it
The attraction here is the cut loaf: a bread that proves itself from the inside, with a hollow that feels like a baker's signature.
Editorial warning
Generic antiquity only.