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Tuscan cuisine

{{Short description|Culinary traditions of Tuscany, Italy}}

{{Italian cuisine}}

File:Bistecca_alla_fiorentina-01.jpg}}]]

File:Fiasco di vino rosso da tavola Monteriggioni.jpg in a traditional {{lang|it|fiasco}}]]

File:Finocchiona from Tuscany.JPG}}, a classic Tuscan salami]]

Tuscan cuisine refers to the culinary traditions of the Tuscan region in Italy celebrated for its simplicity and focus on fresh, high-quality ingredients like olive oil, legumes, and meats. Rooted in {{langnf|it|cucina povera|cuisine of the poor}}, it emphasizes seasonal ingredients and straightforward flavors over complex sauces and spices.{{Cite web |date=2022-01-15 |title=La Cucina Povera: The Poor Cuisine of Tuscany |url=https://italysegreta.com/la-cucina-povera-the-poor-cuisine-of-tuscany/ |access-date=2024-11-03 |website=Italy Segreta |language=en-US}}

Tuscany is also home to some of the most famous wines in the world such as Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.{{Cite web |title=Vini toscani: i 10 più famosi Alla scoperta dei 10 vini più conosciuti e apprezzati della Toscana Corte Dei Venti |url=https://www.lacortedeiventi.it/it/blog/vini-toscani-i-10-piu-famosi-215 |access-date=2024-11-03 |website=www.lacortedeiventi.it |language=it}}

Bread plays a very important role in Tuscan cuisine. One specialty of Tuscan cuisine is a white, plain, unsalted bread. This bread accompanies all foods. This bread has its origin in the 16th century when salt was heavily taxed.{{Cite web |title=Tuscan Cuisine: A Culinary Journey Through the Heart of Italy |url=https://www.discovertuscany.com/eating-and-drinking-in-tuscany/a-tuscan-meal.html |access-date=2024-11-03 |website=www.discovertuscany.com}}

Overview

{{main|Italian cuisine}}

Simplicity is central to the Tuscan cuisine. Legumes, bread, cheese, vegetables, mushrooms, and fresh fruit are used. A good example of typical Tuscan food is {{lang|it|ribollita}}, a notable soup whose name literally means 'reboiled'. Like most Tuscan cuisine, the soup has peasant origins. {{lang|it|Ribollita}} was originally made by reheating (i.e. reboiling) the leftover minestrone or vegetable soup from the previous day. There are many variations, but the main ingredients always include leftover bread, cannellini beans, and inexpensive vegetables such as carrot, cabbage, beans, silverbeet, cavolo nero (Tuscan kale), onion, and olive oil.

A regional Tuscan pasta known as {{lang|it|pici}} resembles thick, grainy-surfaced spaghetti, and is often rolled by hand. White truffles from San Miniato appear in October and November. High-quality beef, used for the traditional Florentine steak, come from the Chianina cattle breed of the Chiana Valley and the Maremmana from Maremma.

Pork is also produced.{{sfn|Piras|2000|pp=221–239}} The region is well-known also for its rich game, especially wild boar, hare, fallow deer, roe deer, and pheasant that often are used to prepare pappardelle dishes. {{lang|it|Maiale Ubriaco}}, or "Drunken Pork", is another regional preparation in which pork is braised in Chianti wine and often paired with Tuscan kale.Cameron J. N. (2022). Homestyle Mediterranean: Rustic Cooking from Around the Sea. Beneva Publishing. p. 104. {{ISBN|978-0-9966261-3-2}}. {{lang|it|Lardo}} is a {{lang|it|salume}} of cured fatback, served as thin slices or as a paste; a famous variety is {{lang|it|lardo di Colonnata}}.

Regional desserts include {{lang|it|cantucci}} (oblong-shaped almond biscuits), {{lang|it|castagnaccio}} (a chestnut flour cake), {{lang|it|{{interlanguage link|pan di ramerino|it}}}} (a sweet bread containing raisins and rosemary), {{lang|it|panforte}} (prepared with honey, fruits, and nuts), {{lang|it|ricciarelli}} (biscuits made using an almond base with sugar, honey, and egg white), {{lang|it|necci}} (galettes made with chestnut flour) and {{lang|it|cavallucci}} (pastry made with almonds, candied fruits, coriander, flour, and honey).

Well-known regional wines include Brunello di Montalcino, Carmignano, Chianti, Morellino di Scansano, Parrina, Sassicaia, and Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

History

File:Catherine de Médicis - entourage de François Clouet.jpg]]

Tuscan cuisine is a blend of Etruscan and Roman cooking traditions. The Etruscans, who inhabited the region before the rise of Rome, were skilled in viticulture, cultivating grapes and producing their own wines. They also foraged for truffles, an ingredient that became a prized element in their cooking.{{Cite web |last=Spiegel |first=Jessica |date=2022-03-01 |title=Tuscan Culinary History: A Complete Deep Dive |url=https://devourtours.com/blog/tuscan-culinary-history/ |access-date=2024-11-03 |website=Devour Tours |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Tuscan Cooking |url=http://galileo.rice.edu/lib/student_work/florence96/food.html |access-date=2024-11-03 |website=galileo.rice.edu}}

The foundations of Tuscan cuisine began to take shape during the Renaissance, particularly under the influence of the Medici family. The Medici not only elevated the quality and sophistication of Tuscan food but also impacted French cuisine through Catherine de' Medici, who brought Tuscan culinary techniques and ingredients to France when she married King Henry II.

In Tuscany's countryside, the tradition of "riuso" developed, driven by the philosophy of "not throwing anything away." This approach led to a resourceful use of ingredients, inspiring iconic dishes like ribollita and panzanella, which transform simple, leftover ingredients into hearty meals.{{Cite web |date=2022-01-09 |title=La cucina toscana delle origini, la cucina del "riuso" |url=https://tuttatoscana.net/storia-e-microstoria-2/piatti-tipici-toscani/la-cucina-toscana-delle-origini-la-cucina-del-riuso/ |access-date=2024-11-03 |website=tuttatoscana |language=it-IT}}

Breads

Dishes

File:Acquacotta, bean and minestrone soup.jpg, bean and minestrone soup]]

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File:Ribollita Siena.jpg]]

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  • Acquacotta (its preparation varies from place to place)
  • Acquapazza
  • Agnellotti
  • Anguilla con vino
  • Armelette - Lasagne Bastarde
  • Arselle alla viareggina
  • Arselle in fricassea
  • Bavette al ragno
  • Bavette alla fornaia o pesto toscano
  • Bavette alle acciughe
  • Bavette al pesce povero
  • Bavette alle triglie
  • Bomba di riso
  • Bordatino alla Livornese
  • Brodo del parto
  • Brodo di carne alla toscana
  • Brodo di fagiano
  • Brodolese o Brodolata
  • Brodo di pesce
  • Bistecca alla fiorentina
  • Cacciucco, alla livornese e alla viareggina
  • Caldaro dell'Argentario
  • Carcerato
  • Cecina
  • Cèe in padella
  • Cicale di mare alla viareggina
  • Coniglio con olive
  • Covaccino
  • Cozze ripiene alla viareggina
  • Crognoli fritti
  • Crostini neri
  • Cinque e cinque (schiaccina con la cecina)
  • Farinata di cavolo nero known as Farinata con le leghe in Pistoia and Bordatino on the coast.
  • Fegatelli
  • Focaccetta
  • Frittata con gli zoccoli
  • Gnudi
  • Gurguglione
  • Insalata di trippa
  • Lampredotto
  • Manafregoli
  • Matuffi alla viareggina
  • Mazzancolle e fagioli
  • Minestra di farro
  • Panigaccio
  • Panzanella
  • Panzanella fritta, often served as an entré with prosciutto
  • Pappa al pomodoro
  • Pasta ai sassi
  • Pasta con i cannolicchi
  • Pasta alla carbonara di mare alla viareggina
  • Pasta alla trabaccolara
  • Pasta co' nicchi or Spaghetti alle arselle (literally Spaghetti with clams)
  • Pasta e fagioli
  • Peposo alla viareggina
  • Peposo dell'impruneta
  • Picchiante
  • Polenta e capra
  • Pancotto alla viareggina
  • Polenta con funghi
  • Ribollita
  • Risotto alla tinca
  • Risotto alla viareggina
  • Risotto seppie e bieta
  • Rosticciana
  • Schiacciata all'olio
  • Sedani ripieni alla pratese
  • Sfratti
  • Sgabeo
  • Spaghetti alla viareggina
  • Spungata
  • Stocco alla Tono
  • Taiàrin e còi (tagliarini e cavoli)
  • Testaroli (with many variations from place to place)
  • Tordelli (the filling varies from place to place)
  • Torta d'erbi
  • Tortelli di patate
  • Tortellini alla boscaiola
  • Totani ripieni alla viareggina
  • Triglie alla viareggia
  • Trippa alla fiorentina
  • Trippa di mare
  • Zuppa alla frantoiana
  • Zuppa di cavolo nero
  • Zuppa di ceci
  • Zuppa di pane

Cured meats

File:Coppa (6900975356).jpg with ]]

Desserts

File:Castagnaccio with pine nuts.jpg]]

File:Panforte.jpg]]

  • Ballonciori
  • Befanini or Befanotti
  • Bolli livornesi
  • Bomboloni (can be with or without filling)
  • Castagnaccio
  • Cenci or Cencetti
  • Frittelle di riso
  • Mondine
  • Necci
  • Panforte
  • Pan di ramerino
  • Pasimata
  • Pupporina
  • Scarpaccia alla viareggina
  • Torta della nonna
  • Torta di riso or Torta di riso al cioccolato; also known as torta coi pizzi or coi becchi
  • Torta di pepe

Wines

File:Brunello di Montalcino 01.jpg]]

See also

{{Portal|Italy|Food|Drink}}

References

Bibliography

  • {{cite book |last1=Chrzan |first1=Janet A. |chapter=Culinary Tourism in Tuscany: Media Fantasies, Imagined Traditions and Transformative Travel |title=Tourism and Museum: Sanitas per Aquas, Spas, Lifestyles and Foodways |date=2008 |editor-first= Patricia|editor-last=Lysaght |pages=235–251 |chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/4684632 |publisher=StudienVerlag |location=Innsbruck}}

External links

{{Commons category-inline|Cuisine of Tuscany}}

{{Cuisine of Italy}}

{{Cuisine of the Mediterranean}}

{{cuisines}}

Category:Tuscany

Category:Cuisine of Tuscany

Category:Italian cuisine