Going to Tuscany? Eat these Local Specialities

Tuscan cuisine is based on fresh, high-quality ingredients and straightforward cooking techniques, drawing heavily from the region’s long agricultural traditions, which include olive oil, grains, legumes and a vast array of vegetables and meats. Signature flavors often include herbs like rosemary and sage, and infuse dishes along with garlic and olive oil.

• Chianina Beef — Tuscany is a meat lover’s paradise, with a long tradition of thick-cut steak grilled over hot coals or burning wood embers. Look out for Fiorentina (Porterhouse) or Costata (Ribeye). Keep in mind that Americans often think the meat is tough: this is due to less fat/marbling, a conscious choice for breeders here.
• Tripe – The most famous meat dish from the ‘cucina povera’ annals. Saucy tripe or lampredotto (still tripe), usually served on crusty rolls with a pile of napkins and red wine in a plastic cup. But also in terracotta dishes in some of your more traditional restaurants.
• Peposo – A historic recipe of simple yet very peppery beef stew.
• Crostino Nero – Liver (though sometimes spleen) pate’ served on crusty bread.
• Pappardelle al Cinghiale or Lepre – Game is an important meat in central Italy. Wild boars are not usually bred, but hunted, to keep their population down, otherwise they would overrun residential areas. So you might find stews on the menu, but it is usually served as a meat sauce.

The region isn’t just about meaty dishes, there are also tons of traditional vegetarian and vegan dishes. Unlike the rest of Italy, it is extremely rare for bacon, pancetta or anything similar to be added to vegetarian options, but it’s always good to double check.

• Pici Pasta — Thick spaghetti often topped with “cacio e pepe” or “aglione,” a more delicate type of garlic. You’ll also find this pasta with meaty and creative sauces.
• Ribollita –Vegetable and bean soup made heartier with the addition of bread. It’s not Ribollita without black kale, a Tuscan staple. It will often be served with raw spring onions or red onion and a big glug of fresh extra-virgin olive oil.
• Pappa al Pomodoro – Tomato and bread soup, with basil. Modern takes often include a topping, such as stracciatella cheese or any kind of fish.
• Pasta e ceci – The Tuscan version of this popular dish is usually scented with rosemary and doesn’t have any tomato.
• Beans of all kinds, though usually cannellini, are essential in Tuscany, often served as a side dish to steaks or other.

Salumi and Cheese

• Salami Toscana – Made with black pepper.
• Finocchiona – A fresher salami made with fennel seeds and other spices.
• Prosciutto Toscano or Prosciutto di Pratomagno – Tuscany’s version of Prosciutto uses more salt and spice.
• Pecorino Cheese – Sheeps’ milk cheese that can be mild, semi-aged or aged, often served with honey, pears, or other sweet condiments that offset the saltiness.

Along the coast, you’ll find many of the usual Italian waterfront dishes, including spaghetti alle vongole or allo scoglio (mixed seafood) as well as oven-roasted fish.

• Cacciucco – A rich fish stew, with a tomato and wine base. Blue fish is often a part of the recipe.
• Aquacotta – A vegetable stew made with cheese and an egg left whole on top.
• Tortelli Maremmani – Oversized ricotta-and-spinach ravioli that can be dressed in meat sauce or butter and sage.
• Farinata di ceci — Not as easy to find, unless you inch close to Liguria, but this “pizza” made of chick peas, olive oil and salt is excellent eaten fresh out of the oven.
• Here you might find a lot of blue fish in addition to the lighter Mediterranean sea bass, such as Palamita.

Sweets

• Cantuccini – The most famous cookie in all of Tuscany, sometimes referred to as biscotti di Prato, and what Americans refer to as biscotti. You’ll find many different renditions across the whole region, often served with Vin Santo (a Tuscan dessert wine).
• Ricciarelli (Siena) – Soft almond cookies, made with only almonds sugar and eggs.
• Budino di Riso – Short-crust pastry filled with a baked rice pudding
• Bombolone – Cream-filled donuts
• Zuccotto – Tuscany’s version of cake and ice cream. It usually has chocolate shavings and the cake is soaked in Alchermes liqueur.