Tuscan Food

Italian food as we know it today is the culmination of years of evolution in from their cuisine. Very much affected by political and economical factors, Italians developed different flavours and ways of cooking depending on which province they lived in.The separation of wealth has always been very pronounced, with the northern part of Italy being the rich part of the country and the southern part lacking in economical terms. This dates back to pre-renaissance dates, when the diMedici and other trading families were in power. 

Trade lines for spices were formed from Venice and Pisa to the rest of the continent. Rome, being the religious capital of the western world, also provided the continent with high quality marble and other luxury goods. Right in the center between the three great cities lays the heart of Tuscany: Chianti

Because of the amount of money that flowed through Toscana, people were able to afford more and better ingredients. Some cities, such as Siena, proudly announced to the rest of Italy their good fate by stating that even the poorest of their inhabitants was able to eat meat once a year.

With the money flowing freely, new recipes began to appear around the area that reflected their good luck and wealth. Seeing the amount of variety of food that comes from the Tuscan area, this paper will focus on one main dish, one drink, and one dessert.

When one thinks of Tuscan meals, the first thing that comes to mind is always a giant chunk of meat. Better known as a Bistecca alla Fiorentina, this porterhouse steak is usually sold by the ‘leto or 100 grams. A chef will come to your table and will show you a steak weighing anywhere from 1 to 2 kilograms, and will cook it rare over a wooden grill. Salt, black pepper and olive oil are the only spices used in this enormous piece of flesh, and usually brings mushrooms, baked beans and other small side dishes to distract your palate from the immensity of the steak. It is a dish to be shared, keeping very much in the Italian way that one should share his own good lucks with their family.

While stuffing yourself with a Florentine steak, don’t forget to wash it down with some of the best wine produced in the entire world. Chianti is quite unique in the fact that even undeveloped palates can appreciate the dry earthy flavours that it brings. Though it has been made for hundreds of years, Chianti finally received its definition in 1716 when the duke of Tuscany called forth for the area to be delimitated and the grape of choice selected. The Autochthonous San Giovesse must make up at least 80% of the wine, and usually the other 20% is composed from other wilder grapes from the area.

 It takes a minimum of a year in Oak barrels for Chianti to age enough to develop its flavours to be sold. Chianti Risserva is usually set aside from the best grapes and it is aged a minimum of a year and a half to two years in oak barrels. When buying a bottle of chianti, look for the black rooster label on the neck of the bottle. Without it, it is a wine that was not approved by the DOCG.

For dessert, Tuscan people have enjoyed over the past half millennium the sweet and rich flavour of the panpepato. This nutty honey based dessert expresses the richness of the Toscana by using almost every spice available to them pre-renaissance as well as citrus and other fruits that were not easy to come by in olden times. Nutmeg, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, and pepper were worth their weight in gold, and to be able to show off with a dessert that contained them all, basically showed to whoever was lucky to be recipient of such a meal to feel as if they were being treated as kings. Because of the amount of pepper and honey, this dessert was able to be stored for long periods of time, to be taken out for special occasions. It is a clear representation of the wealth of the area and it is a real treat to try.