Tuscan food makes Florence a delicious city

Italian food in Florence is famous worldwide, but now Pickyourtrail will tell you that each region has its own specialty and how Tuscan food makes Florence a delicious city. Before you understand the food, you first need to understand the history and geography of Italy and Florence. Florence, in the region of Tuscany which has a medieval history that influences the traditional staples of Florentine and Tuscan cuisine. Another factor that affects the cuisine is the local ingredients like tomatoes, rosemary, porcini mushrooms, truffle mushrooms, olives, aubergines, oregano, basil, and a few varieties of meat, cheese, and bread.

Here are a quick 10 Tuscan foods that make Florence a delicious city

1)Gelato: Tuscan food makes Florence a delicious city

Obviously Italy is famous for gelato, but Florence, in particular, has some of the best gelatos in Italy.

2)Tagliere

Famous Italian meat and cheese platter that can be found at every corner of Florence. Great as an appetizer, a light meal in the summer, or even just a snack to taste different meats and cheeses with a friend.

3)Tuscan Wines: Tuscan food makes Florence a delicious city

Bold reds and a couple of medium white wines come from Tuscany. The region of Chianti (a mountain range in the centre of the region of Tuscany) produces Italy’s most well known and highest quality red wine and is surprisingly good value

4)Schiacciata:

Unlike Florentine bread’s lack of salt, this salty bread is quite flavourful. Similar to what most people know as focaccia bread, the Tuscans do it differently, using more salt and oil to give this thin, smashed bread the token look and flavour of what they call schiacciata (skee-ah-cha-tah) meaning ‘smashed’.

This bread is used to make sandwiches or eaten alone before dinner or as a salty afternoon snack. It can be also topped with herbs, baked with olives or cheese on top, or even baked with grapes throughout (a traditional dessert of the medieval period).

5)Lampredotto: Tuscan food makes Florence a delicious city

This is one of those historical, common folk dishes from Florence’s medieval period. Florentines seem to be divided when it comes to this street food dish; some love it.

It is a sandwich made with thinly sliced tripe (intestines) that’s been boiled in broth, seasoned, and served either on a plate or in a sandwich. You can order it with spicy red sauce or herbal green sauce, or even bagnato (with wet bread, and a little bit of gravy) from outdoor markets or street vendors around the city.

6)Truffle Gnocchi:

You can’t deny that truffle adds flavour to even the blandest of meals. It’s considered a valuable ingredient and it’s something you should try at least once in your life. There is a restaurant in Florence dedicated to truffle. Yup, everyday they’re trufflin’ !

It’s served in a creamy sauce with Gorgonzola cheese and truffle seasoning

7)Zupa di Fagioli: Tuscan food makes Florence a delicious city

Not in the mood for meat? Try Zupa di Fagioli.

It’s a really enjoyable, comforting bean soup made with cannellini beans, olive oil, tomatoes and herbs. Yeah, that might sound boring and simple, but don’t be fooled! It’s a Tuscan dish that will pleasantly surprise your taste buds (and maybe even serve as an easy recipe to make at home)

8)Cannoli: Tuscan food makes Florence a delicious city

You can grab a cannoli from anywhere in Italy and be satisfied.

But you’ll want to try the ones specifically from a cart in Piazza del Mercato Centrale (the Central Market). It serves the most drool-worthy cannolis you’ve ever tasted. They’re crunchy, creamy, sweet and you can choose your own toppings.

9)Zuccotto: Tuscan food makes Florence a delicious city

Zuccotto means “little pumpkin” in Italian.

It’s considered the oldest dessert recipe in Florence (it’s been served since the 16th century!) Zuccotto is a liqueur-soaked sponge cake filled with whipped cream, candied fruit, almonds and toffee, then drizzled with a chocolate ganache. It’s served semi-frozen or chilled. Cut us a slice!

10) Crespelle alla Fiorentina: Tuscan food makes Florence a delicious city

This is Florence’s version of the tasty crepe. They take a thin pancake crepe, stuff it with ricotta cheese, add spinach, drizzle a buttery, white sauce all over it and stick it in the oven.

You might find crespelle alla fiorentina served with that good ole Italian tomato sauce and heaps of grated parmesan.