The Deliciously Popular Bread-Dipping Habit Tourists Will Never See In Italy

If you're dining at an Italian restaurant in America, there are certain things you may expect to see and enjoy, like pasta dishes, a wine list, and a whole lot of flavor. You may also assume you'll be given bread to dip in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. After all, Italy is famous for its olive oil, right? Hold on a moment, because a Tik Tok post from users @localaromas — two sisters living in Italy — is about to disabuse you of that notion. Whether you're eating at a budget-friendly restaurant in Italy like a trattoria, or a high-end spot where you're there to be seen, dipping bread in olive oil and balsamic vinegar is a big no-no. You may see pictures of it on some tourist trap restaurant menus (please don't eat at places with pictures), but actual Italians don't do this. 

The sisters tell us in the Tik Tok that bread isn't put out to fill you up before your meal (which honestly spoils your appetite anyway). There is another use for it, which is to scoop up sauce after you're done with the pasta course. You can use it for meat or fish drippings as well. In fact, they say that it's sort of a third hand, which you can use to help get, for example, salad bits onto your fork. While they do admit that Italian mamas may not approve of the post-meal scoop, they admit that those same mamas probably do it at home. 

If you really want bread and olive oil, these ladies say ordering bruschetta is a good idea, but many restaurants in Italy don't keep extra virgin olive oil there, or rather they add it in the kitchen. Extra virgin olive oil — which is the least processed kind — is the only oil you should be dipping into anyway, no matter where you are. Plus, it's expensive, as is balsamic vinegar.

They explain that, at home, there is always a basket of bread to clean your plate. While you're likely to be given bread in an Italian restaurant, it is to be saved for later courses. (Never for the pasta course as that's starch with starch, so, again, just use it as sop for the sauce after.) Plus, you may find Italian bread less salty than you're used to in America, and oil and vinegar aren't adding any. However, if you're sopping up sauce or meat juices, you're getting salt that way. (By the way, butter is frowned upon as well.) In addition, the vinegar may blow your taste buds before you get to eat your scrumptious, elaborate Italian meal. 

If you decide to recreate your Italian feast when you return home, you can teach your guests something new. If you end up with leftover bread because your guests were on board, you can use it for things like stuffing or panzanella, which is Tuscan bread salad.