Panini (sandwich)

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Panino terracina from a Toronto restaurant. Its chief ingredients include prosciutto, arugula (rocket), and bocconcini. An un-grilled panino.

A toasted panino (though not made with Italian bread) still shows the distinctive parallel lines of an Italian sandwich press.

A panino (pronounced /pəˈniːnoʊ/) is a sandwich made from a small loaf of bread, typically a ciabatta. The loaf is often cut horizontally and filled with salami, ham, meat, cheese or other food, and sometimes served hot. A grilled panino is buttered on the outside and grilled in a press.

The word "panino" [pa'ni:no] is Italian (literally meaning small bread roll), with the plural panini. "Panini" is often used in a singular sense by speakers of English and French, and pluralised catachrestically into "paninis".

In Italian, panino refers properly to a bread roll and a "panino imbottito" (literally "stuffed panino") to a sandwich; so a paninoteca is a sandwich bar. In Central Italy, there is a popular version of panino which is filled with porchetta, i.e. slices of roasted pork.

During the 1980s, the term paninaro (slang term originally born to indicate maker and seller of panini, or its shop, and then extended to its patrons as well) was used to denote a youngsters' culture typical of teenagers supposed to eat and meet in sandwich bars such as Milan’s Al Panino and then in the first US-style fast food being opened in Italy in the mid-80s. Paninari were depicted as fashion-fixated, vapid individuals, delighting in showcasing early 80s status symbols such as Timberland shoes, Moncler accessories, Ray-Ban sunglasses and articles from Armani, Coveri, Controvento. They were lampooned in the Italia 1 comedy show Drive-in by Enzo Braschi. A track entitled "Paninaro" appears on Pet Shop Boys' albums Disco and Alternative.