ciabatta

Pronunciation: [chah-BAH-tah]

Italian for "slipper," describing a long, wide loaf of bread with a soft interior and a crisp, thin crust.

From The Food Lover's Companion, Fourth edition by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst. Copyright © 2007, 2001, 1995, 1990 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc.