Food
in Tuscany is very simple. When you taste the robust flavors, you'll
see why they don't need to get too complicated. Central Italian
cooking is deeply rooted in peasant tradition. Basically it's all
about bread (made without salt), local olive oil, fresh ingredients
and wine. As dishes are based on tradition and local produce, much
use is also made of food gathered from the wild; funghi, game, nuts,
field herbs and - the area's greatest culinary treasure - truffles.
Here the home cook rather than the professional chef rules, most
restaurants seek to produce food just like nonna, or grandmother,
used to make.
A typical Tuscan meal will start with an antipasto of crostini,
small pieces of toast spread with pate, or fettunta, toasted
bread rubbed with garlic and amply dressed with fine olive oil.
Don't forget to try fresh buffalo mozzarella as well.
The Tuscan primo is a hearty soup rather than pasta. They
are usually vegetable and/or bean soups that can be served as is,
or they can be recooked with stale bread.
For secondo the celebrated Tuscan dish is bistecca alla
fiorentina, an enormous steak from Italy's best beef cattle.
It is seared on the outside and rare on the inside. Other favorite
dishes include tripe and various animal parts cooked.
Dolci tend to be simple as well--either some cantucci,
biscotti dipped in Vin Santo, fresh fruit of the season, a heavy
panforte packed with candied fruit, castagnaccio,
a peasant cake made from chestnut flour, rosemary, pine kernels
and raisins, or finally, a soft almond lozenge-shaped ricciarelli.
Just don't forget to walk afterwards so you can work up an appetite
for some delicious gelato.
Here's some other great items Tuscan cuisine is known for:
-
Fagioli--Tuscan
white beans with either olive oil, butter and sage or red sauce
-
Ribollita--rich
bean and cabbage soup with bread
-
Pappa
Al Pomodoro--tomato bread soup
-
Tagliatelle
and Papardelle--favorite ribbony pastas topped with sauces
like burro e salvia (butter and sage), ragu (meat sauce) or salsa
di pomodoro (tomato sauce)
-
Il
Cacio Con Le Pere--pears with cheese
Other
things to keep in mind:
Traditionally, Italians consider cappuccino
a morning drink and, generally,
after 11:30 am switch to espresso.
Never let them see you put cheese on ANY SEAFOOD DISHES. You will
be scolded!
Plan on at least 1 hour for lunch if you sit down and eat. Give
yourself up to 3 hours for dinner. A meal is like a journey-each
course a separate road. They allow you plenty of time to take it
all in and work up your appetite for the next course.
Try to get into the spirit and order as many courses and vino as
you can handle. They cook very lightly. Plus, how often do you get
to Italy to have some of the most divine food in the world??
Vino!!! There is not enough room to go on about the wines
from the Tuscan region. So here's some quick facts. Tuscany is known
for being a predominately Red wine region. The wines that they are
most known for are: Chianti Classicos, Super Tuscans, Montalcino,
Montepulciano and Vin Santo.
Here
are some restaurants where we had wonderful, memorable dining experiences
and gelaterias that saw a lot of us during our stays:
Enotecas,
Trattorias & Ristorantes
Pappa
Al Pomodoro
This is a typical Tuscan soup, thick
and hearty. Simply made with bread, tomatoes and broth.
It's one of the many reasons that brings us back to
Florence.
-
-
1
large red onion,finely minced
-
Four
28oz cans of imported Italian pear tomatoes with their juices,
put through a strainer or a food mill to remove the seeds
-
5
cups of vegetable broth, preferably homemade
-
10
slices of 4-5 day-old crusty Italian bread, cut into chunks
-
2
cups of loosely packed fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
-
Salt
and freshly ground pepper to taste
-
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions
and cook, stirring, until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in
the tomatoes and broth and bring to a gentle boil. Cook, uncovered,
15-20 minutes. Add the bread, mix well, and cook 20-25 minutes longer.
Add the basil and season with salt and pepper.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and beat the soup with a wire
whisk until the bread is completely broken into small pieces and
becomes and integral component of the soup. Serve the soup hot
or at room temperature with a few drops of extra virgin olive
oil dribbled over each serving.
Makes 8 servings Enjoy!!
Gelato di Caffe con gli Amaretti
The secret to this is to use a coffee that is darkly roasted.
This recipe requires an ice cream maker.
-
-
1/2
cup of superfine sugar
-
1
cup strong espresso coffee
-
-
-
12
amaretti biscuits, crushed
Beat
the egg yolks with the sugar in the top of a double boiler until thick
and lemon colored. Add the coffee and, stirring constantly, cook gently
in a double saucepan over simmering water until the mixture is thick.
Let cool.
Whip the cream until it stands in soft peaks. Beat the amaretti crumbs,
the cream and the beaten egg whites into the cooled custard. Deposit
into your ice cream maker & follow its instructions. Divide the ice
cream in 6 serving dishes, or freeze until serving time. Sprinkle with
the remaining amaretti crumbs before serving.
Makes
6 servings
Florentines
have superb shops. They are beautifully presented, selling the most
elegant, desired things. All are prettily wrapped when you have purchased
them. Cheap, however, they are not.
Leather
Goods
- Mercato
di San Lorenzo -Shoes, jackets, luggage, belts.
- Shoe
shops -Many can be found on or around via Calzaiuoli. The designers
like Gucci can be found on via Tournabuoni. Inexpensive shoes are
on Borgo San Lorenzo and around via dei Panzani
Fashion
- The
greatest known designers are on via Tournabuoni and via della Vigna
Nuova.
- There
are two department stores Coin, via de Cerchi, and Rinascente, piazza
Republicca.
- The
shops along via della Scala are inexpensive, trendy and for the
young at heart.
Marbled
Papers and Stationery
- Il
Torchio, via de Bardi.
- Giannini,
piazza de Pitti.
Antiques
- Via
dei Fossi and via Maggio will keep you busy.
Food
- Sant'Ambrogio
market is a small-scale, friendly version the the Mercato Centrale.
- Or
just head into local food stores. Gourmet food stores include Gastronomia
in borgo Santi Apostoli, Pegna in via della Studio, and Cibreo,
via de Macci.
Toiletries
- If
you want beautifully wrapped gifts to take home, try a farmacia
or erborista. Best known are the Farmacia di Santa Maria
Novella, in via della Scala, and the Eborista Palazzo Vecchio, in
via Vacchericcia.
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