Fettunta all'Olio Nuovo

Fettunta means 'oiled slice' in Tuscan dialect. The name tells you everything. This is bread, garlic, oil, salt. Nothing else. It is what Tuscan farmers have eaten for centuries in November when the new oil comes from the press, and it remains the purest way to taste olive oil.

Americans call this bruschetta and pile tomatoes on top. Tuscans shake their heads. The tomatoes came later, a summer addition when there was no new oil to celebrate. True fettunta exists to showcase the oil and nothing else. If your oil does not deserve to be the star, do not make this dish.

Olio nuovo, the oil of November, is different from the olive oil in your pantry. It is cloudy, unfiltered, intensely green, with a peppery bite that catches in the back of your throat. Tuscans call this quality 'pizzicore,' and they prize it. The oil mellows within weeks. This fleeting moment, when the oil tastes almost aggressive, is when fettunta reaches its highest purpose.