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Originally Posted by Chap  BTW, I am told that dipping bread in olive oil is not an Italian thing either, but I always have a bowl of oil on the table. Is this true? |
The only time you will see olive oil added to bread in Italy will be in the countryside right after the olive harvest when they are celebrating the very first pressing of their olives and the brand new extra virgin olive oil.
Then they anoint the bread with oil but the bread is just a vehicle to get the oil to your mouth. The oil is not a replacement for butter like we are now doing in the US.
The Italians also use olive oil to dress other things that they serve on bruschetta. Sometimes they put it directly on the grilled bread to help it carry the flavors of the toppings.