| A panini menu, just like a regular menu, lists the options | | | | panini fillings as well. This is thanks to the increasing |
| or selections available in a particular restaurant. The | | | | health consciousness of American consumers. |
| difference is that it focuses on a type of sandwich | | | | Veggies might include eggplant, lettuce, spinach, red |
| called panino. This is the proper name for a hot | | | | peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, onions and olives. Many |
| pressed sandwich with hearty fillings. As there are | | | | of these vegetables are grilled and then added to the |
| virtually countless varieties of panini, there are also | | | | panini for added flavor. |
| myriads of menus devoted to each kind. Though | | | | A quick browse of a typical panini menu reveals that |
| originally an Italian food, Americans and other people | | | | usual Italian ingredients are giving way to items that are |
| developed a taste for panini and so menus are | | | | available locally and more attuned to American taste. |
| developed to suit American taste. There are menus | | | | For instance, a well known restaurant with several |
| tailored by restaurants for their own customers, and | | | | locations around Los Angeles feature panini filled with |
| still others developed and used by panini aficionados | | | | chicken breast, roasted turkey breast, ground chuck |
| when they make their own home made panini. | | | | and albacore tuna alongside American cheeses and |
| In Italy where panini first became popular (and where | | | | greens. Another respected establishment with |
| panini refers to the plural form, panino is singular), panini | | | | locations nationwide carry panini menus with an |
| are comprised of a relatively dense bread, strongly | | | | all-American feel alongside the traditional Italian panino, |
| flavored meats, some cheese that goes well with the | | | | like Gobbler (main filling is Sausalito turkey), South Side |
| meat fillings, as well as a toss of greens. Commonly | | | | (roast beef) and Bronx (corned beef with coleslaw |
| used Italian breads (which incidentally are also | | | | and thousand island dressing). |
| favorite mainstays in the US because they hold up | | | | It goes without saying that most panini menus contain |
| well on the grill) include, sourdough, ciabatta and | | | | both American and Italian meats and cheeses. This |
| foccacia. Meats traditionally include cappicolla, salami, | | | | not surprising, given that panini traces its roots back to |
| prosciutto, pastrami and pepperoni, while cheeses that | | | | Italy and a lot of us have developed a taste for Italian |
| are usually partnered with them are provolone, asiago | | | | food. As a rule, panini itself is a food that can take in |
| and mozzarella. Veggies are also increasingly finding | | | | any filling, the only limitation is your imagination and the |
| their way in the menu not just as toppings but as main | | | | availability of fillings that you’d like to mix and match. |