The Tuscan cuisine is based on simple, high-quality ingredients, reflecting a strong rural identity and a long agricultural tradition. Bread, extra virgin olive oil, wine, vegetables, and local meats form the basis of many dishes, prepared to enhance the natural flavor of the products. Simplicity and seasonality are at the heart of this gastronomy.

In the Florence area, renowned meats are produced on farms in the Valdarno or Mugello, mainly beef, often enjoyed grilled. Olive trees are abundant, providing high-quality extra virgin olive oil, used to season most dishes, but also simply tasted on a slice of toasted bread, locally known as fettunta.

Also read 16 Tuscan dishes to try

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Florentine and Tuscan specialties

Tuscan appetizer and cured meats

Crostini di fegatini are a typical specialty served as an appetizer: small toasts topped with a sauce made from chicken liver, butter, capers, anchovies, and onions, served on warm bread. Cold cuts are also widespread, including ham and other cured meats. One Florentine specialty is finocchiona, a sausage similar to salami, flavored with fennel seeds, or Lardo di Colonnata, rubbed with garlic and herbs. The soprassata, made from pig’s head, is also popular in local tradition.

Tuscan first courses (pasta, soups, etc.)

Pasta lovers will enjoy pappardelle (wide egg pasta ribbons) served with sauces made from wild boar or hare, as well as traditional seasonings like porcini mushrooms, meat sauce, artichokes, or sausage.
Tuscan cuisine is also famous for its peasant soups: pappa al pomodoro in summer (made with bread and tomatoes), ribollita in winter (bread, vegetables, beans, and black cabbage), cacciucco (Livorno fish soup), or carabaccia (onion soup), inherited from rural recipes using simple, local ingredients.
Panzanella is enjoyed in summer, made with stale bread, tomatoes, onions, and basil.

The Florentine steak (Fiorentina)

The iconic dish of Florence is undoubtedly the bistecca alla fiorentina, a thick T-bone steak from the Chianina breed, traditionally grilled and served rare. It is typically accompanied by Tuscan white beans (fagioli all’uccelletto) or grilled vegetables.

Tuscan desserts

In Tuscany, a typical dessert from Prato is cantuccini, crunchy almond biscuits dipped in Vin Santo, a sweet wine. In autumn and winter, desserts made with chestnut flour and pine nuts, such as castagnaccio, are also prepared. During Carnival, schiacciata alla fiorentina is enjoyed, a soft citrus-flavored cake, sometimes filled with cream or chocolate and dusted with powdered sugar.

Street food: tripe and lampredotto

Florentine cuisine has a strong popular and street tradition. Among the most famous snacks are sandwiches made with tripe or lampredotto (one of the cow’s stomachs), typically served in a round bread roll with green sauce (salsa verde) and sometimes a bit of chili. These specialties are still eaten today at city kiosks and markets, such as the Mercato Centrale.

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Suggestions for discovering Florence cuisine

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