Experiencing Italian Cooking

For the many travelers who choose to embark on a tour of Italy, one of the commonly recognized highlights of the overall experience is the food. Tuscany, in particular, is home to a number of delicious specialties. Tuscan cuisine is known for its delightful simplicity which lets the individual ingredients speak for themselves, with bread, meats, cheeses, fruits and vegetables being central to many dishes. Much like the rest of Italy, olive oil is an important staple in Tuscany, where it is typically made from Leccino, Moraiolo, and Frantoiano olives. The region is also known for traditional Florentine steaks, which come from the native Chianina and Maremmana cattle breeds that are found there. Apart from these fundamental elements of Tuscan cuisine, there are plenty of specific dishes there that are very much worth trying!

Throwing away stale bread is highly frowned upon, so instead, a salad called Panzanella is made. The bread is tossed in with Tuscan-grown cucumbers, tomatoes and onions, then is seasoned generously with salt, olive oil and vinegar. Not a bad way to make use of those leftovers, and it’s a lovely summer meal to boot! If you’re feeling more like enjoying some fresh Tuscan bread, however, you may try Fettunta. Fettunta is typically ordered at the start of a meal, and it consists of a freshly toasted slice of bread drizzled with delicious Tuscan olive oil, rubbed with garlic, and sprinkled with salt. These dishes are two examples of the many ways in which the people of Tuscany demonstrate their passion for bread.

Beyond that, there’s also a special affinity for soups in Tuscany. Papa al Pomodoro is a thick, rich tomato soup prepared with basil and other vegetables, then served with stale bread. (Again with the stale bread—they really know how to make the most of their food!) Another type of soup is ribollita, which is made with kale, cabbage, onions, beans, carrots, potatoes and a few other vegetables, as well as—you guessed it—leftover bread. If you’re not a fan of soup, that’s not an issue—there’s plenty more variety in Tuscan cuisine. For example, you may fancy trying tagliatelle al tartufo, a dish that consists of pasta smothered in a rich truffle sauce. Tuscany is fortunate enough to feature naturally-occuring black and white truffles, both of which are very rare, growing within its borders. So as a result, this decadent Tuscan staple is absolutely worth giving a try. As a matter of fact, when you tour Italy with A Toast to Travel, you’ll hunt truffles in the morning. Then, during our hands-on cooking in Tuscany experience, Cooking Under the Tuscan Sun, you’ll learn to make fresh, Tuscan truffle sauce for our fresh pasta.

Potatoes are an important ingredient in Tuscany as well, so the wonderful potato tortelli should not be ignored. It consists of ravioli-like pasta stuffed with potatoes and smothered in a rich game meat sauce. And of course there’s the aforementioned Florentine steak, or Bistecca alla Fiorentina, which cannot be missed. It’s a large t-bone steak typically weighing 3 to 4 pounds, and it’s so thick that it must be cooked on all sides! Once you’ve tried some of these meals, save room for dessert, because Tuscany is home to plenty of those as well. There’s the world-famous gelato, of course, and trying it is certainly a given. Ricciarelli, from Siena, are traditional biscuits made with an almond base as well as sugar, honey, and egg whites, and are typically consumed around Christmas.

The chance to sample some of these dishes (and many, many others) could be yours with the Highlights of Florence and Tuscany Experience! A Tuscan holiday simply would not be complete without the opportunity to indulge in the finest food offerings available, and because A Toast to Travel gives you the chance to live like a local, nothing will be glossed over. Italy is a wonderful, dynamic country, and we strive to give you the best Italian vacation experience possible!