Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Local Specialities
Spicy green olives, extra-virgin olive oils, full-bodied red wines, smoky
porcini
mush-
rooms and bags of beans are culinary trademarks across the Tuscan board, but delve deeper
to discover geographic differences every gourmet will revel in.
Florence
Tuscany's leading lady is a born-and-bred gourmet. Be it slow food or fine dining,
panino
(sandwich) in a piazza or tripe at a street cart, Florence meets every gastronomic taste with
style and panache.
The day's end ushers in
aperitivi
(pre-dinner drinks), a sacrosanct ritual big and buzzing
in Tuscany's largest city: so copious are the complimentary buffets of snacks and nibbles
laid out to accompany drinks that savvy young Florentines increasingly forgo dinner for
apericena
(aperitivi and dinner rolled into one).
The icon of Tuscan cuisine is
bistecca alla fiorentina,
a chargilled T-bone steak le-
gendary for its gluttonous size and rebel reputation as former outlaw.
TRUFFLES
They're not a plant, they don't spawn like mushrooms and cultivating them is impossible. Pig-ugly yet
precious, these wild knobs of fungus excite and titillate. Said to have aphrodisiacal qualities, one whiff
of their pungent aroma is enough to convince: the smell of truffles, especially the more pungent white
truffle, is seductive. Or rather, the smell is the taste (think fresh mint without its smell).
Truffles grow in symbiosis with oak trees and are
bianco
(white - actually a mouldy old yellowish
colour) or
nero
(black - a gorgeous velvety tone). They are sniffed out by dogs from mid-October to
late December, in San Giovanni d'Asso near Siena, and San Miniato, between Florence and Pisa.
Truffles are typically served raw and thinly shaved over simple, mild-tasting dishes to give the palate
full opportunity to revel in the subtle flavour. Our favourite truffle tastings:
»
Barbialla Nuova, Montaione
(
Click here
)
Tuscany's golden ticket for hunting white truffles.
»
Pepenero, San Miniato
(
Click here
) Celebrity chef Gilberto Rossi gives truffles a creative spin.
»
Ristorante Da Ventura, Sansepolcro
(
Click here
) Nothing beats a simple omelette sprinkled with
fresh truffle shavings.
»
I Sette Consoli, Orvieto
(
Click here
) Special dishes of the day celebrate the truffle season.
