The cuisine of Tuscany is built around fresh ingredients and healthy preperation. Olive oil, beans, bread, cheese, seasonal vegetables, beef and pork are all found on the Tuscan table. In fact, the fertile, rocky Tuscan soil yeilds some of the finest olives and grapes on the planet. There is nothing too fussy here and nothing rarified. This is honest, hearty peasant cooking at its finest. Tuscan cuisine is the food of the earth.

One of the happiest and most exciting times occures each October and November. This is when the new harvest of white truffles appears. These pungent fungi are prized the world over for their flavor. So much so that they sell for hundreds of dollars per pound and are kept locked up in resturant safes when not in use.

Another Tuscan favorite is beef. Someof the highest quality beef comes out of Tuscany. It is not surprising then that a regional specialty is a t-bone steak known as ‘bistecca alla fiorentino’ or beefsteak Florentine style. It is a massive steak, cut thick, grilled on an open charcoal fire, seasoned with salt, pepper and a little olive oil. The bistecca is always served rare accompanied by a side dish of Tuscan beans and red wine. It is such a large cut of meat that two people usually sare the portion.

Bread is also an important part of Tuscan cuisine. Tuscan breads are legendary and legion. There are breads made of chestnut flour, stuffed with rosemary, sweet breads with eggs. The list goes on and on.

Tuscan food and wine is one of the greatest gifts of Italian cooking. Simple ancient cooking that warms the heart and sould while nourishing the body. What more could one ask for?

A good place to start is an Italian Christmas Eve. It amy come as some surprise that an Italian Christmas Eve dinner is a lighter meal. On Christmas Eve you will never see beef or pork on an Italian table. In fact, you will rarely see pasta or other grain products. Instead, you will be served a variety of seafood dishes. Shrimp in various preparations is common, as are oysters and clams. Snails also make an appearance. Seafood was traditionally seen as a poor man’s diet. So, on Christmas Eve such food is served, symbolic of a fast.

The next day is a different story altogether. All the traditional foods associated with Italy make an appearance. There is always a pasta course served with meat, usually lasagna or tortellini. Dessert will consist of homemade cookies, pastries and cakes. The usual Christmas cake is a
One of the most important Italian holidays is one usually not known outside of Italy. On March 19th, the feast day of St. Joseph, Italians clebrate by opening the doors of their homes and feeding any and all who show up to partake of the traditional St. Joseph’s day table. It is a day of feeding the hungry and needy, so literally anyone who rings the bell of a home is welcome to sit down and eat. Typical foods include such springtime delights as artichokes and asparagus, along with bacala, salted cod that has been soaked in water and fried.

Italian food is good anytime, but it is during a holiday meal the cusine truly shines. Families come together and partake of traditions and food that go back hundreds of years. Take advantage of the holidays to experience an side of Italian cusine that you may not have known existed.