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The Florentine
Food and wine in Florence and Tuscany, including food stories, restaurant reviews and wineries.
Don’t expect to find this cake in your nearby pastry-shop window-unless of course you’re on the Tuscan island of Elba, home of this unusual fruitcake-like dessert. With origins in cucina ...
Origins and purity, quality and know-how: these are the things any modern foodie looks for in a dish. And foodies from all four corners of the world rarely get as much satisfaction as that produced by Florence's centuries-old culinary tradition. What many gourmands may not expect to
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to massage pig fat? Does the idea of ribbons of pig fat on pieces of toasted bread make your mouth water? Do you wake up in the morning wondering how you will choose to feed your pig cravings each day? Or is
Tortelli or their smaller versions, like tortellini, have to be one of Italy's ultimate comfort foods. They hold a special place in the hearts of many Italians who grew up eating them around the New Year. This recipe for ricotta tortelli is inspired by one of the
Christmas is a special time to share with friends and family. Here in Italy, whether you are with family, new friends or friends who are now your Florentine family, what's on the table at Christmas Eve, before midnight mass, is a top priority. Why such a decadent abundance
Saffron has long been one of the world’s most expensive foods. The carefully picked red stigmas of the lilac-coloured crocus flower have been cultivated, fought over and treasured for ...
For our American friends who wish to celebrate Thanksgiving Dinner in Florence (Thursday, November 24 2011), we provide the following list of dinners that have been pointed out to ...
With the cooler days and nights and the richer colours and flavours of autumn, I find myself longing for Tuscan chestnut dishes. Foraging is great at this time of the year: autumn walks in the countryside yield pockets full of castagne, sweet chestnuts; funghi, wild mushrooms; and branches of
November is one of the most glorious months for Tuscan foodies: truffles, olive oil, chestnuts, wild boar, saffron and more abound. There seems no better time of year to celebrate ...
If you are looking for truly traditional Tuscan fare, a sure sign of success is the handwritten menu, produced daily, of just five or six dishes. Another good sign that ...
At harvest time, Elia Palazzesi gets up around four in the morning and works outdoors until dusk. This doesn't give him much time for anything else during the vendemmia, the wine harvest. Elia and his family have long been making one of the most well-known wines in Tuscany-
One of Italy's most acclaimed chefs has partnered with McDonald's Italy to create two ‘gourmet' burgers and a classic Italian dessert for the fast-food chain. ‘I simply asked what and where young people were going to eat,' said Gualtiero Marchesi, master chef from Milan, who
Figs are summer's sweetest bounty. These green and purple fleshy fruits first appear in May and last through early fall. In Italy, the last figs to mature in late September are the smaller, light green ones, often called fichi settembrini. The last sweetness of summer, these figs can be
This recipe for crostata is inspired by the smell that came from an invisible bakery near my first home in Florence, on via del Fico. Crostata is one of those pastries that practically every Italian grows up with. You can find crostata in most every bar or café in
Driving back from Puglia in August, on the stretch between Bari and Naples, I passed 36 trucks filled to their brims with pomodori San Marzano, on their way to the canneries. I dodged the tomatoes flying out of the overflowing open-top trucks as they wound their way up the
It is difficult to feel indifferent about tripe: either you love it or you hate it. Consider, after all, that tripe is not one of the prettiest or appetising things ...
For decades, Tuscany has been synonymous with two big reds: Chianti and Brunello. What many don't know is that Tuscany's coast is bustling with top-notch viticulture from north to south. Without snubbing Sangiovese's superiority, the rise of the region's other native grape varietals and mixed
The crêpe, that wafer-thin French cousin to the plump and fluffy American pancake, may actually have its origins in Florence. Completely transformed in a Florentine kitchen, Crespelle alla Fiorentina, Florentine style crêpes, are made with the same recipe and technique as French crê
For me, the one defining Tuscan dish is chicken liver pate served on crostini, also known as crostini di fegatini, crostini toscani or crostini neri. It is rustic, tasty, cheap and sensible (why throw away a perfectly good part of the chicken?), and it is on the menu of virtually
The Chinese may have invented it, but the Italians perfected it: pastasciutta. Today, one of the most famous brands of pasta worldwide is Buitoni, an industry that grew out of a modest pasta shop opened in 1827 by Giovan Battista Buitoni and his wife Giulia Boninsegni in Sansepolcro, a small
Italy's 54th Art Biennale (see page 20) is finally here, and in this world of artists and curators set on the backdrop of a city where the roads are made of water and the taxis are boats, I will set up shop to cook New Zealand and Venetian fare
Gelato may just be one of the world's favourite inventions. Sun-soaked memories of eating it as a child are certainly imprinted on practically every Italian's mind. My mother-in-law recalls Sunday afternoon treats, when her father would take her to the local gelateria to choose between
Employed by the Egyptians for the first time more than 3,000 years ago; employed by Reuters International news agencies until the fax machine put the last 45 out of work; retired out of India's Police Service in Orissa as recently as 2002; currently banned from work in Afghanistan
Italians will always argue that their cuisine is superior to French cuisine. Indeed, they are quite confident that they were the ones who taught the French how to cook. It ...
