History Culture and Information about Florentine Food
History Culture and Information about Florentine Food
As in many mediterranean areas, cuisine in
Florence and Tuscany arise from a very ancient poor tradition. The modern mixing up of fresh and natural ingredients is the result of an old art. Today`s
Florence cooking is not very different from that of some centuries ago with the advantage that at the present moment, we can enjoy a very bigger variety of food products.
The main target for the people of
Florence today as yesterday, has always been connected with quality: simple dishes but extremely high in quality and taste. The use of aromatical herbs like basil, parsley, thymus and rosemary is very common and widespread in Florentine cuisine. The big variety of tomatoes that we can find on the shelves of markets and supermarkets explains its wide use in many of the dishes of
Florence Being good Tuscans, people in
Florence do love meat dishes, among which Florentine steak is their favourite one. Other meat dishes dear to the people of
Florence are made of pork, wild boar and rabbit. "Trippa" and "lampredotto", two different beef-based dishes very loved in
Florence have a very old tradition originating in an age when meat dishes were very, very expensive. "Pasta", differently from what is commonly thought, is not as basic as olive oil is in Tuscan cooking . Obviously, every dish is accompanied by one of the many excellent wines of the region. In addition to "pasta"-dishes, typical of the southern geographical area of Italy, food dishes have been introduced in Florentine cuisine because of the influence of the near coast. This is why some restaurants of the town are known for fish cooking. Although fusion cuisine has not been able to establish its power in
Florence as it has been happening in many european cities,
Florence cooking owns a real winning style famous all over the world for its excellent and original recipes .
| Hystory and Culture - The legendary culinary excesses with which medieval barons and, later, the Medici and their pals have established their table habits have not passed down through the ages. While the most of the population could rarely afford meat, and in times of bad harvests cooked dishes made of anything that came to hand (including tree bark), Florence`s riches could eat .. Hystory and Culture
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| Aperitif - In the last few years bars and restaurants have begun to serve aperitifs with some appetizers. Sometimes the aperitif is served with a generous buffet, so that many Florentines have their aperitif and renounce to their supper ... Aperitif
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| Florentine Hors d`Oeuvre - The typical Florentine hors-d’oeuvre consists in crostini, slices of bread with chicken liver paté. The crostini are often served with cured ham and salami. Fettunta is another typical Florentine hors-d’oeuvre: a slice of roasted bread with garlic and Tuscan extra virgin olive oil Last but not least, cured ham and melon is a Florentine hors-d’oeuvre extremely popular even outside Florence .. Florentine Hors d`Oeuvre
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| Florentine First Courses - Panzanella is a typically summer first course. Panzanella is a salad made of water-soaked and crumbled bread with tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, Tuscan extra virgin olive oil, vinegar and basil. Ribollita is another Florentine first course This winter course is a vegetable soup with bread. Another very famous Florentine course is the pappa al pomodoro, a hot soup made of bread and tomatoes .... Florentine First Courses
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| Florentine Second Dish - The main course of the plain Florentine cuisine is the T-bone steak(a huge barbecued T-bone beefsteak). Some time ago, it only came from Val di Chiana but nowadays it comes from several Tuscan areas because it is in much demand. In order to protect its taste, it is better to underdo it on a grill.
Since the Florentine cuisine has poor origins, people use every part .. Florentine Second Dish
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| Florentine Desserts - A typical Tuscan dessert consists in almond biscuits, such as the cantucci di Prato, that are often served with Vin Santo (holy wine). The schiacciata con l’uva is another typical Florentin dessert. This sort of bun covered with red grapes is prepared in autumn, during grape harvest. Other Tuscan desserts are: the brigidini di Lamporecchio - crisp wafers made of eggs and anise -, the berlingozzo - a ring-shaped cake prepared during Carnival in Pistoia, Prato and Florence - and the zuppa inglese, made of savoy biscuits soaked with alchermes ... Florentine Desserts
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| Wine in Florence - Florence stands at the heart of one of the most famous wine regions in the world. In May, Florentine wine producers open their cellars to visitors, who can taste some of the most renowned wines in their place of production. Tuscany is renowned not so much for the quantity but for the quality of its wines. In fact, despite being the third Italian DOC wine producing region ... Il vino a Firenze
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| Olive Oil - Green olives have been cultivated in Tuscany since Etruscan times. In Florence countryside, olives are manually harvested between the end of November and Santa Claus (December 13th) and then are pressed within 24 hours, in order to obtain a particularly tasty, emerald-green extra virgin olive oil ... Olive Oil
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| Trattoria and Osterias - There is no clear distinction between trattorias and osterias: both are family businesses serving the simple and genuine Tuscan dishes. Maybe the only difference lays in the fact that osterias do not offer as wide a menu as trattorias. Traditionally, the popular quarter of Oltrarno is one of the most rich in ... Trattoria and Osterias
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