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What is Tuscan cuisine?
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"Tuscan" is one of the most widely abused adjectives when it comes to describing decor and food, at least Italian food. There was a wave of restaurants in the 1980s and 1990s that claimed to serve Tuscan cuisine. Those assertions were often a little more than marketing.
I'm not insinuating Jason Gould and Bryan Caswell of that with their soon-to-be-opened Heights eatery, as they are not advertising authenticity, but seemingly just inspiration. And, I'm looking forward to their restaurant.
First of all, Tuscany is the region in western Italy north of Rome that is one of the most beautiful and tourist-filled places of Europe. It's home to a rolling terrain dotted with cypress trees, vineyards and picturesque ancient hilltop towns. The biggest city, Florence, is part of the trio of nearly every Italian visitors' itinerary along with Rome and Venice. Florence contains the famous basilica and its dome, one of the world's most important art museums, the Ufizzi, and an attractive legacy from its Renaissance heyday including prominent works by Michelangelo, Da Vinci and the cutely decorative Della Robbia. Along with the natural beauty, history and art, the food and wine are also huge attractions. The word Tuscan has many positives.
But, what really is Tuscan cuisine? Below is an explanation in a broad sense. There are plenty of regional distinctions within Tuscany, itself. This includes the first meal I had in Italy some years ago was in a tiny town in the Lunigiana area of northwestern Tuscany. It was testaroli, a flat pasta cooked like a pancake then quickly boiled and topped with pesto. It was great, but it's a dish that is found there and in parts of neighboring Liguria.
Tuscany is the land of simple and honest flavors with long traditions brought to the table with excellent ingredients from the farms and hills, including a fair variety of herbs such as basil, rosemary and sage, strongly flavored olive oils, meat dishes from cattle and wild game like wild boar, and seafood on the coasts. Grilling over an open flame is more popular here than in other regions. Meals usually
feature excellent regionally produced cured meats such as prosciutto, salame and soppressata. Bread is a daily staple, and crostini, often topped with a type of pâté made with chicken livers, and bruschetta are especially popular starters, made with the common, distinctively thick, salt-free loaf, that is considered bland by some. Panforte, a dense dessert bread from Siena, is a classic.
Signature dishes include the hearty peasant bread soup, ribollita, pappa al pomodoro (bread and tomato soup), pappardelle sulla lepre (fresh pasta ribbons with wild hare), pappardelle con cinghiale
(with wild boar), fritto misto (fried meats, offal and vegetables), tagliata (thinly sliced beef served with arugla), and the famous bistecca alla fiorentina (a thick steak from the prized and enormous Chiana
cattle that used to clutter the Chianti hills, simply prepared and grilled over an wood-fired flame).
That the only significant steak dish found in Italy is named after Florence is due to the fact that this city has been a historic center for leather goods production, and these wonderful, thickly cut steaks were simply a byproduct. The plains of Maremma in coastal southern Tuscany and northern Lazio north of Rome are another source of cattle for regional beef dishes. Beans have long been a big part of the diet, and spinach is the most popular green vegetable. Otherwise, much of the cooking is unattractively brown. Soffritto, a mixture of chopped celery, onions, garlic, peppers and herbs sautéed in olive oil, similar to the French mirepoix, is used as a base for soups and sauces, somewhat unique to the region. Tuscan wines, such as the rich Sangiovese-based wines like Chianti, Brunello, and the Super Tuscans can more than complement the fine fare.
This is excerpted from the upcoming Eating Italian in America.
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