Ciabatta

Here is the origin story of ciabatta that I learned early in my career. According to legend, ciabatta was the bread Roman legionnaires ate just before they headed into battle. The dough was mixed by slaves treading in a trough full of flour, water, and verjus (the supertart juice of unripe grapes). The loaves themselves looked very much like a slipper—batta in Italian—and were said to be the same size as the sandal of a Roman soldier.

That should have been the tip-off. Look a