If you’re holidaying in Tuscany and are enthusiastic about tasting authentic homemade food products that invigorate the senses then you're in for a treat! This beautiful region of Italy has protected the cultivation and production of slow foods in direct response to the monstrous growth of the fast food industry in the country during the eighties.
Great food has been an integral part of Tuscany’s cultural heritage and thanks to the many people who fought hard to promote them in their local areas, you can still taste these exquisite old recipes today.
The following areas of San Miniato, Pistoia, Lunigiana, San Vincenzo, and along the rest of the Tuscan coastline has a wonderful selection of luxury villas and other great value holiday accommodation for visitors to stay in and explore the culinary trail of delicious slow food products that originate here.
Great food has been an integral part of Tuscany’s cultural heritage and thanks to the many people who fought hard to promote them in their local areas, you can still taste these exquisite old recipes today.
The following areas of San Miniato, Pistoia, Lunigiana, San Vincenzo, and along the rest of the Tuscan coastline has a wonderful selection of luxury villas and other great value holiday accommodation for visitors to stay in and explore the culinary trail of delicious slow food products that originate here.
Try some Mallegato if you’re passing through the town of San Miniato or Pescia in Pistoia. It is a blood sausage that is made by mixing fresh blood with pork lardons, salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, pine nuts and raisins and minced together.
The sausage is boiled in a large saucepan until it reaches the perfect consistency. It’s almost black in colour and has a very strong flavour. It can be enjoyed cold, served with fresh breads and cheeses or pan fried with a flour coating to fully release the powerful aromas.
In Lunigiana, situated along the border between Tuscany and Liguria, is yet another delicious slow food product for you to try on your travels.
It’s called Marocca di Casola and is made by mixing together chestnut and wheat flour before folding it into a bowl of soft mashed potatoes. Chestnuts are hugely popular in Tuscany and there are many festivals celebrated in it's honour!
It can be produced all year around as chestnut flour has a long shelf life but is mostly available high up in the mountains where the nuts are grown in dense forests. It’s a delicious snack that is mostly enjoyed with soft cheeses and richly flavoured cured meats.
The sausage is boiled in a large saucepan until it reaches the perfect consistency. It’s almost black in colour and has a very strong flavour. It can be enjoyed cold, served with fresh breads and cheeses or pan fried with a flour coating to fully release the powerful aromas.
In Lunigiana, situated along the border between Tuscany and Liguria, is yet another delicious slow food product for you to try on your travels.
It’s called Marocca di Casola and is made by mixing together chestnut and wheat flour before folding it into a bowl of soft mashed potatoes. Chestnuts are hugely popular in Tuscany and there are many festivals celebrated in it's honour!
It can be produced all year around as chestnut flour has a long shelf life but is mostly available high up in the mountains where the nuts are grown in dense forests. It’s a delicious snack that is mostly enjoyed with soft cheeses and richly flavoured cured meats.
If you have based your holiday along Tuscany’s stunning coastline then perhaps you would like to try ‘Palamita del Mare di Toscana’. Palamita is a tasty fish that belongs to the tuna and mackerel family and is often served in restaurants or shops here preserved in jars filled with oil, bay leaves, pepper and chilli.
It is a long fish, with electric blue scales and black stripes. Visitors wishing to enjoy this as a lunch would enjoy it along with some crusty fresh bread, a colourful salad and a refreshing glass of lovely Italian white wine.
These are only a few of the slow food products that are now thriving in Tuscany. Read through our related articles to learn about the rest of the towns and areas from which they originate so you can go and try them for yourself!
It is a long fish, with electric blue scales and black stripes. Visitors wishing to enjoy this as a lunch would enjoy it along with some crusty fresh bread, a colourful salad and a refreshing glass of lovely Italian white wine.
These are only a few of the slow food products that are now thriving in Tuscany. Read through our related articles to learn about the rest of the towns and areas from which they originate so you can go and try them for yourself!
Photo credits
picture 1: Lupo Capra / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 1: Lupo Capra / CC BY-SA 3.0;
