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The origin of the traditional dishes of each region is a recurring debate that comes up again every now and then. This time it is the turn of pan tumaca, the origin of which is directly associated with the area of Catalonia. This week its real origin went viral due to a debate that originated on Àngels Barceló’s programme ‘Hoy por hoy’. The collaborator Ainhoa Aguirregoitia opened the melon and since then the various theories about the origin of the traditional custom of putting tomato on bread have been discussed. It is possible that the origin of this dish (or accompaniment, rather) goes back to the 16th century, with the arrival of tomatoes from the Americas in Catalonia.
But there is a theory that places the origin of pan tumaca in the 1920s. It was the people from Murcia who emigrated to Barcelona who brought this custom with them. It should be remembered that Murcia is one of the Spanish regions where most tomatoes are grown. Many people from Murcia moved to Catalonia for the construction of the Barcelona metro and began to eat bread with tomato for lunch. They used the tomato as a kind of re-purposing cuisine. On the one hand, to soften the parched bread and, on the other hand, to give it flavour together with a dash of oil.
Another of the main theories that also carries a lot of weight is based on the writings of Néstor Luján, a writer and gastronome. According to his gastronomic dictionary, the first reference to pan tumaca in Catalan literature dates back to 1884, in some verses by the humorist and writer Pompeu Gener, which refer to his stay in Paris: ‘What we ate one night was bread with oil seasoned with tomato. Madame Adam, who ate it, made it fashionable. Judit Gautier liked it so much that even the great Sarah Bernhardt had a slice”. In other words, this reference would be a few decades before the above theory.
Differences between the Catalan version and the Murcian version
The name by which the recipe for pan tumaca is known undoubtedly refers to Catalonia. But the truth is that there are some differences in the way it is prepared in the different regions. In Catalonia, it is mainly called pa amb tomàquet (‘pan tumaca’ would be an adaptation into Spanish), while in Murcia it is known as ‘tostadica’ with tomato. Moreover, the ritual for making it in Catalonia would be to rub the tomato directly on the slice of bread. There are ‘sacred’ rules for this. On the other hand, in Murcia, what they usually do is grate or crush it and then spread it on the bread. On Àngels Barceló’s programme, Ainhoa stated that the origin of this recipe is somewhere between Andalusia and Murcia.
A few months ago, social networks were also abuzz with a tweet published by The New York Times showing how to prepare bread with tomato.
And you, what do you think is the true origin of pan tumaca?
