| Tuscany is famed for its cities, its churches, its great | | | | tastes terrible. Once you have tried the fresh kind you |
| works of art and its food. The countryside of Tuscany, | | | | will never go back to grated variety. |
| the area centred on Florence is where Italian cooking | | | | Tuscan classic recipes include meat filet in balsamic |
| reaches a high point, blending as it does the ingredients | | | | vinegar sauce. You might use beef or pork for this |
| of the North and the South in a happy combination. | | | | dish. The steak is simply fried and then the pan is |
| Tuscan food is essentially a variant on the | | | | deglazed with a mixture of stock, balsamic vinegar, |
| Mediterranean diet. It is rich in olive oil, legumes, fish, | | | | lemon, pepper and garlic. The resulting sauce can be |
| fresh herbs, fruit and vegetables. The carbohydrates | | | | thickened with a little cornflour but this is not essential. |
| typically eaten in Tuscany, such as bread, pasta, rice | | | | You might begin your Tuscan meal with a typical |
| and polenta, are low in fat. This diet is good for weight | | | | Tuscan soup consisting of cannellini beans and |
| management and heart health. | | | | vegetables. This soup also makes a good simple meal |
| If you are going to begin cooking in the Tuscan manner | | | | with a chunk of ciabatta or focaccia bread. |
| you need to stock your store cupboard with a number | | | | One of the great Tuscan favourites is bruschetta |
| of ingredients. You will certainly need good quality, | | | | which consists of slices of bread spread with tomato |
| extra virgin olive oil. Extra virgin oil is produced in the | | | | sauce and cooked under a broiler or grill. |
| first pressing without the application of any heat. it | | | | A famous Tuscan dessert is Schiacciata alla Fiorentina |
| contains all the minor ingredients that are so important | | | | or Florentine sponge cake, which is a sponge made |
| both for taste and health. | | | | with olive oil, flavored with organge zest and made a |
| You will also need dried pasta preferably made in Italy | | | | golden color with saffron. |
| or according to traditional recipes and methods. Most | | | | Finally, and most essentially, there is wine. Wine has |
| fresh pasta sold in supermarkets is of poorer quality | | | | been made in Tuscany since the time of the |
| that good dried pasta and should be avoided. | | | | Etruscans who first domesticated the grapes that |
| Legumes, such as cannellini beans, borlotti beans, chick | | | | grew wild there. Their tomb paintings record convivial |
| peas and lentils are essential. You will need some | | | | feasts at which the guests drank wine. The most |
| medium ground cornmeal for polenta. Avoid the ready | | | | famous Tuscan wine is, of course, Chianti, which is |
| made polenta and make your own. | | | | known all over the world. But you will encounter others |
| The kind of rice you will need is arborio rice for risotto. | | | | such as Brunello di Montalcino. There are even some |
| You may be able to get hold of carnaroli, vialone or | | | | white wines such as Bianco di Bolgheri. |
| nano rice which are also often used in Tuscany. But | | | | Tuscan food is often referred to as "slow food." That |
| they are not so widely available as arborio. | | | | is to say it is produced, cooked and eaten slowly in |
| Balsamic vinegar is widely used in Tuscan cuisine, as | | | | contrast to the mass produced fast food that makes |
| are anchovies. For seasoning you need capers, dried | | | | up such a large part of the modern diet. It preserves |
| porcini mushrooms and plenty of herbs. | | | | local culinary traditions that have been developed in |
| Parmesan cheese should be bought piece not ready | | | | Tuscany over centuries. |
| grated. The grated parmesan soons goes off and | | | | |