Originally, Crostini, "little toasts" in Italian, were thin slices of toasted bread drizzled with olive oil and served warm as a base for canapes made from a large variety of savory ingredients; from meats to seafood to cheeses or vegetables.
On the other hand, Bruschetta comes from the Italian word, "bruscare" - to roast over coals. In Tuscany, the original Bruschetta were thick slices of rustic bread, toasted, rubbed with garlic cloves, with salt and pepper added. Then, the bread was drizzled with the years new crop of olive oil. The point was to feature the flavor of the new oils. Sometimes a diced tomato salad was added onto the warm bread.
While both Crostini and Bruschetta were introduced into the US from Italy, over time the original distinction between these two food items became blurred and now, frequently, the names are used interchangably.
In any case, Bruschetta should be pronounced, "Brus' Ket. ta" since, in Italian, "CH" is always pronounced with a hard "K' sound, not an "SH' sound. In this regard, think of chianti, zucchini and Pinocchio.
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