Ciabatta was invented by Arnaldo Cavallari, an Italian baker from the town of Adria, located in the Veneto region of Italy. The story goes that in 1982, Cavallari was dissatisfied with the classic Italian bread options available at the time, particularly when it came to making sandwiches. He sought to create a bread that had a light, airy texture with a crusty exterior, perfect for holding various fillings. Inspired by traditional bread-making techniques, Cavallari experimented with different recipes, incorporating high hydration levels and a preferment method. The preferment allows the dough to develop complex flavors and a light texture. He named the bread "ciabatta," which means "slipper" in Italian, as its shape was said to resemble the sole of a slipper.