| Garlic bread | |
| Region: | American |
| Course: | Entree or side dish |
| Type: | Bread |
| Main Ingredient: | Bread (typically a baguette), garlic, olive oil or butter |
| Variations: | Cheesy garlic bread, garlic knots, garlic bread pizza, tomato bread |
Garlic bread (also called garlic toast)[1] consists of bread (usually a baguette, sour dough, or bread such as ciabatta), topped with garlic and occasionally olive oil or butter and may include additional herbs, such as oregano or chives.[2] It is then either grilled until toasted or baked in a conventional or bread oven.[2]
It is typically made using a French baguette, or sometimes ciabatta which is partially sliced downwards, allowing the condiments to soak into the loaf while keeping it in one piece. The bread is then stuffed through the cuts with oil and minced garlic before baking. Alternatively, butter and garlic powder are used, or the bread is cut lengthwise into separate slices which are individually garnished.
Garlic bread originated in the United States and it is a typical Italian-American dish.[3] It probably originated after Italian immigrants started to use butter as a substitute for olive oil, which was uncommon in the United States in the first half of the 20th century.
Garlic bread stems from bruschetta,[4] [5] which appeared in Italy around the 15th century, and can be traced back to Ancient Rome.[6]
In France, it was common in Provence, where it was called chapon and served with salad.[7] It was also prepared in other regions, such as Quercy, as a crust of bread rubbed with garlic, and spiced with a pinch of salt along with a drop of walnut oil.[8]
In England, butter is used instead of olive oil in garlic bread.[9]
In the United States, garlic bread has been on the menu of many restaurants since at least the 1950s, often paired with pasta dishes, particularly lasagna and spaghetti.[10] Commercially manufactured frozen garlic bread was developed in the 1970s by Cole's Quality Foods in Muskegon, Michigan.[11] Garlic knots, a variant invented in the 1940s in Brooklyn, New York City, are served at many pizzerias.[12] [13]
In Asia, there are round garlic breads with multiple cuts across the surface, allowing the garlic butter to saturate between the cracks. Possibly of Korean origin, they are often filled with cream cheese, and are slightly sweet. Some types are fully submerged in liquid butter before baking.