Warm weather and hot, melty sandwiches go hand in hand. Celebrate National Panini Day on August 11th by enjoying this culinary delight. Whether you order it from a restaurant or make it at home, there’s no denying the panini’s deliciousness. A panini is a grilled sandwich made with non-sliced bread. It typically starts with Italian bread that contains a selection of cheeses, meats, vegetables, and sauces, all grilled or pressed to crispy, melty perfection. The precursor to the panini first appeared in a 16th-century Italian cookbook, but it didn’t gain significant popularity in Italy until the 1970s, with the rise of “paninoteche” sandwich shops in cities like Milan. About a decade later, paninis became very popular in the United States, thanks to trendy restaurants and cafes adding them to their menus. For all the Bay Area panini lovers out there, did you know that “panini” is the plural form of “panino,” which means “small bread” in Italian?