3 Must-Try Foods in Tuscany
Here are some of the best foods we’ve encountered on our travels.
When most of us think of Italian culture, food is often one of the first things that comes to mind. With high standards for flavor and ingredients, Italians take pride in the breadth and depth of their culinary tradition. Although many dishes are relatively simple and only consist of only a few ingredients, Italian cuisine is nonetheless incredibly diverse across the country’s different regions. While there are some staples such as cheese, pasta, and olive oil that appear all across the country, each region is defined by its own ingredients and local dishes. We’ve become partial to the food of Tuscany, and once you take a look at these must-try Tuscan dishes, you’ll probably understand why…
Biscotti
Before it was available in grocery stores (and Starbucks), the beloved biscotti cookie was invented in the Tuscan town of Prato, where its long shelf life was perfect for travelers and Roman soldiers. The almond-filled biscuits are dry and crunchy, making them perfect for dipping in drinks like coffee or alcohol—in Tuscany, biscotti is traditionally dipped in Vin Santo, a dessert wine for which the region is known.
Panzanella
Like many of Tuscany’s culinary mainstays, Panzanella is a salad that was created by peasants who did not want to waste ingredients unnecessarily when making other meals. Rather than throwing away stale bread, Tuscan farmers chopped it up and mixed it with fresh tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, oil, and vinegar. The resulting salad became wildly popular in Tuscany, and today is a favorite in the summer.
Bistecca alla Fiorentina
One of the most popular dishes in Tuscan cuisine, bistecca alla fiorentina, gets its name from the city of Florence, where it was first introduced. The exact origins of the steak are unknown, tracing back to at least the formation of the city itself. During the Medici era, when, Florence was one of the most important crossroads in all of Europe,. English knights were presented with the dish at the feast of Saint Lawrence and began to refer to it as “beef steak”. The name stuck, and it soon became known by its Italian language adaptation, “bistecca”.
Tuscan cuisine is world-renowned, and for good reason. The region is home to hundreds of unique dishes, and these are just a small sample of some of the foods Tuscany has to offer. On our Tuscany wellness and yoga retreats, we get a chance to try (and learn to cook!) many traditional Tuscan dishes.
