Bread Salad Turned on its Head

Originally from Puglia, friselle have now spread all over Italy. The eponymous summer appetizer consists of dried bread rings topped with diced fresh tomatoes. The variations are endless—garlic and fruity olive oil, anchovies, capers, peperoncini—to name but a few options. The end result is akin to a large bruschetta, but with a much more interesting texture because of the dense, crisp friselle.

Cretan dakos or paximadia are the Greek equivalent of friselle. They are traditionally shaped like a doughnut and sliced horizontally. They can also be formed into baguettes and cut into thick slices before drying, as in the photo above. Today the ancient island staples are baked with a combination of barley and wheat flour, and they are crunchy, but no longer rock-hard. The juices from the chopped tomatoes and the olive oil are sufficient to soften the rusks while they still retain their shape and bite, which is vital to this simple appetizer.