Why not discover Tuscany’s tantalizing line-up of wines and foods on a wonderful food and wine tour through Tuscany for your next vacation? Exploring its traditional dishes and extraordinary variety of flavours and wines, you will discover many delectable Tuscan delicacies.
The Fiorentina T-bone steak
If you associate Tuscany with food, the first thing that comes to mind is the Fiorentina T-bone steak. This is a very famous dish that comes from a cut of the loin, and only from the Chianina breed. It is a delicacy that, as the name suggests, is linked to the city of Florence, which is very much the best place in which to try it. However this dish can be found all around Tuscany, in particular between the provinces of Florence and Siena.
Lardo di Colonnata is a real delicacy
We suggest that as you continue your tour you should try another great Tuscan delicacy. Unmissable on a food and wine tour of Tuscany is Lardo di Colonnata. This speciality comes from the town by the same name in the province of Carrara, in the Apuan Alps, and is pork lard which is aged in Carrara marble basins.
The Ribollita is a hearty Tuscan soup
A speciality more suited to the winter season is the Ribollita. This is a soup of Tuscan bread - without salt and left to become stale - with black cabbage, onions, carrots and beans. Served hot, and with clear origins among the poor and peasant classes, it is found mainly in the Tuscan countryside and is freshly-made in restaurants and pubs.
Caciucco fish soup
If you plan to rent your vacation home close to the sea you will find mouth-watering specialties there too. Moving a little further south, in Livorno you will find one of the dishes that is considered part of Italy’s national heritage: Caciucco soup. This is made with a mix of cuttlefish and shellfish, cooked together in a pan and is served on bread flavoured with garlic and covered with the fish broth. Considering the origins of the dish, the best place to try it is Livorno, although Viareggio also claims the paternity of this dish.
Chianti wine is produced just below Florence
The only way to end a food and wine itinerary of Tuscany is with a tour of the best wines of the area. The Chianti valley, just below Florence, is one of the most scenic areas of Tuscany, as well as a very famous wine area. Here you can tour through vineyards, tasting some of the best products, savouring the different varieties and enjoying local food pairings.
In the picturesque town of Montalcino you will find Brunello, one of the most prestigious of all Tuscany’s wines, which has entered the Italian wine hall of fame and is appreciated all over the world. Another wine that is not to be missed is Montepulciano which comes from the vineyards around the town of the same name, and is just another example of the amazing local wines and foods waiting for you on your culinary tour of Tuscany.
