Pane sciocco

Pane sciocco (Italian: [ˈpaːne ʃˈʃɔkko]; lit. 'unsalted bread') or pane toscano ('Tuscan bread') outside Tuscany, is a type of bread commonly found in the Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche regions of Italy, distinguished from others Italian breads by a lack of salt¹ and slightly acidic crumb.² Pane sciocco is often eaten with Tuscan condiments such as pecorino toscano cheese, ham, sausages, and prosciutto.¹

In Italian, particularly in Tuscany, sciocco means 'unsalted', but is more usually a word for 'foolish, stupid' elsewhere. According to legend, bakers created a saltless bread so they did not have to pay an increased salt tax.¹ Pane sciocco was given Protected designation of origin status in March 2016 in European directive 2016/58.¹