TO BE SAVOURED WITHOUT MODERATION

The torta al testo is flat, still thicker than pizza or the piadina.

mdeMy last lunch at the Dopoteatro: a few bicos and some pappa al pomodoro.

Griddle bread can be prepared ahead and heated up quickly.

Bicos come in a wide variety of flavours at La Foce’s Dopolavoro.

If I say point-blank “Italian street food”, you’ll probably reply “pizza”, won’t you? Or, if you’re very Italian street smart, you might retaliate with “focaccia”, “piadina”, “tramezzino”… Good.

But have you ever heard about this old-school, little-known Italian speciality relished in the heart of the bel paese, a tasty triangular sandwich made with griddle bread and going by the name of torta al testo in Umbria, its native land, or bico in the bordering region of the Val di Chiana, in Tuscany?

When I’m staying at La Foce, I love to drop by the Dopolavoro or the new Dopoteatro to savour a couple of bicos. I have tried to replicate the recipe here in Paris, but I have to admit that it took me a few tries to get the consistency right. Should you like to give it a go, food writer Elizabeth Minchilli has an excellent blog post – video included – about the torta al testo. By way of alternative, you could also make a flying visit to Italy and investigate the recipe on the spot…