Food

In Tuscany the esteem for bread is elevated to reverence;

most Tuscan meals begin with crostini, slices of bread that are lightly toasted and topped with anything from chicken liver to myrtle to olive paste; acquacotta, a thin vegetable soup, and panzanella, a soup made from leftover bread soaked in vinegar and vegetables are among the many bread-based soups.

Simplicity and flavor are the guiding principles of Tuscan cooking: pasta, served with a sauce of vegetables or meat; salviata, an omelet with fresh sage; or lesso rifatto con le cipolle, a flavorful stew of leftover boiled beef smothered in long-simmered onions, are classic embodiments of this philosophy.

There is arista, a succulent roasted pork loin, and bistecca alla fiorentina, grilled steak made with the prized Val di Chiana beef. Beans are used in many dishes: soups, salads, pasta, or just sprinkled with olive oil, and spinach is the favorite vegetable.

Florence’s sweet bread, schiacciata con l’uva, has been baked since Etruscan times and zuccotto, an elegant dome shaped cake filled with a ricotta cream, is traditional. Vin Santo is one of the region’s renowned sweet wines, often served with cantuccini di Prato, dry almond cookies, for dipping. Among the other great wines of Tuscany are Tignanello, Sassacaia, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, and the famous Brunello di Montalcino.