When talking about traditional Tuscany food, we must first overcome the clichés relating to big roast meals, important fried dishes, barbecues and large bowls of soup. The varied cuisine of this region is, in fact, a direct result of a historical evolution linked to the many different populations that in the course of time have settled here.
The uses and traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation have left a stamp of simplicity and careful attention to non-wastage, on this area of Italy. The cuisine that has developed here, however, is also one that is adaptable and ready to evolve to the new requirements set out by a new technological awareness and modern heating and freezing technology.
This characteristic corresponds with that of maximum re-use, and therefore minimum waste, of all the ingredients of a food product, and has led to the development of cooking techniques that exalt the flavour of a dish, starting with the energy sources of daily work, such as the roast from the blacksmith’s barbecue, and the stewed meats from brick-ovens. To this, we add a profound understanding of the use of herbs, spices, onion, garlic, rosemary, wild fennel and of marinature (marinating). This skill accompanies the cuisine, to create a diversity of dishes and real pleasure at the table. Cereals have always been cultivated in the marginal areas or the less accessible mountainous zones, and have satisfied the hunger of the population with an important supply of bread production. Here, in fact, bread is the basis of every meal, and, together with a multitude of vegetables, helps create a richness that this region has always been able to boast, also for naturalistic reasons. Meat was present in the kitchens of the courts, bourgeois and curial, whilst a modest amount of pork got as far as the common person’s table. The same can be said of game, of which Tuscany has always had plenty. We can see, therefore, that the famous dish of ‘carne chianina’, obtained from the white Tuscan breed of cow, was really only the privilege of a select few. An aboundance of fish reached the tables of the coastal districts, with the nutritious pesce azzurro (‘blue fish’ i.e. anchovies, sardines, mackerels), while the eels and other fish of the inland regions were the cacciucco (chowder) of the river. Salted or dried fish, such as herrings and anchovies, were ever present in the larder, and accompanied the inexhaustible supply of vegetables (chickpeas, beans, etc.) that, whether fresh or dried, boasted a similar protein content similar to that of meat, and, together with bread and chestnuts, contributed significantly to saving Tuscans from emigration in the first half of the 1900s. The role of olive oil, even if measured by the affluence of the owner of the house, is tied to the tradition of the ‘special touch’, of the greatest pleasure, of the refined and of fragrance. Tuscan sweets and desserts are based on the tradition of the idea of ‘recupero di cucina’ (using up any leftovers), a habit that has given rise to many fried cakes, sweetbreads, and sweet pancakes. There is a great local and regional variety of dishes, and every community, every village had, and still has, its own traditions and its own local recipes. The rich sweets, made with a lot of sugar, eggs, and decorations, originate from the cooking of the noble classes, and have been adopted and are valued in bourgeois cooking and by the population in general as a symbol of affluence. Finally, the wine, an element which strongly characterises the region of Tuscany. It is seen as a symbolic “fuel” for work, as a warmth, a foodstuff, a way of leaving the daily problems at home, by socialising in an osteria (a typical rustic tavern or pub). In cooking, the role of wine is today very important in the marinade of game, in sauces, and in cooking pork. Typical Tuscany food is varied, versatile, and difficult to identify as a single concept. Man and his traditions, historical evolution and the development of techniques have all contributed, however, to its regional character.