8 Quintessentially Tuscan Ingredients

Tuscany isn’t just a feast for the eyes, it’s also a feast for the palate as well!

Here are 8 ingredients that are essential!

Tuscan bread

The crisp crust and soft crumb of this salt-free bread perfectly compliment the regional cuisine, allowing the bright flavours to show through. It's also good lightly toasted, rubbed with a garlic clove, and drizzled with olive oil, and it's a great base for bruschetta.

Pine nuts

Vitamin- and protein-rich, pine nuts from Viareggio have a sweet, delicate, and unmistakable taste. They’re found in plenty of recipes such as la torta della nonna, a custard pie, and castagnaccio, a cake made from chestnut flour.

Beans

Beans are so prevalent in Tuscany, that the people are even nicknamed mangiafagioli (bean eaters). There’s no Tuscan vegetable garden where they’re not grown and no trattoria that doesn’t serve them in steaming soups or as a side dish with bistecca.

Brigidini

These crispy wafers hail from Lamporecchio and were immortalised in Pellegrino Artusi's 1891 book Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well (La scienza nella cucina e l'arte di mangiar bene).

Testaroli

Testaroli are huge discs made from flour, water, and salt and fried in testo, cast iron, or terracotta pans, which are typical of Lunigiana.

Extra-virgin olive oil PGI

A raw thread is enough to give grace to each recipe.

Bistecca alla fiorentina

The tenderloin and sirloin are separated by a T-shaped bone in the centre of this Chianina loin cut. It should be at least three fingers tall and only lightly cooked over hot coals. 3 minutes per side, then 5 minutes standing on the bone, according to the "rule." On the outside, a lovely crust should form, while the inside should be red, tender, and juicy.

Lardo di Colonnata PGI

Lardo di Colonnata is a seasoned pork fat that is seasoned with aromatics such as pepper, cinnamon, cloves, rosemary, sage, and other spices. It is one of the world's most sought after and (imitated) Tuscan products.

Source:

https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com/trip-to-italy/central-italy/8-quintessentially-tuscan-ingredients