Ok so basically everyone knows what Italian Food is…Pasta…Pasta…and Pasta. Just kidding!

Ok so, is there a difference between Tuscan cuisine and Italian cuisine? Let explore this a bit further.

Tuscan food is generally based on the Italian idea of preparing simple, inexpensive meals that can feed a large number of people. Tuscan cooking is not a style that relies on fancy, exotic seasonings or almost extinct, rare foods. It is made using fresh, high-quality ingredients that showcase the natural flavors in each dish.

Tuscany located in the Italian countryside makes it the perfect source for locally grown produce such as beans along with a variety of available meats. These foods serve as the base ingredients for many traditional Tuscan dishes. The Tuscan way of eating and preparing foods is not just in the technique it is a way of living!

Whether foraging for truffles or mushrooms, taking in the grape harvest, or sampling a genuine bottle of Tuscan olive oil, here local and homegrown is a lifestyle!

Ever hear the term Cucina Povera?

Cucina Povera, which means poor cooking, is the true basis of Tuscan cuisine. Starting when Tuscany was a very impoverished, rural region of Italy, it had very limited ingredients. This forced Tuscans to get very creative in the kitchen, embracing a “use everything” type of cooking mentality. This is where the magic happens, in the Italian cook’s ability to take the simplest of available ingredients and transform them into simple, incredibly flavorful dishes.

One of our Favorites!

Ribollita or Tuscan Bean Soup is really one great, easy-to-prepare dish! It’s a soup that truly exemplifies the simple, basic style of so many traditional Tuscan dishes. This soup is very similar to a traditional minestrone, except it uses beans instead of pasta. This classic Tuscan soup that’s made with white beans, vegetables, and crusty day-old bread. Sprinkle in a couple of herbs and a little Parmesan cheese and let yourself be transported into the romantic Tuscan countryside!

Tuscan Cuisine is known today as a vibrant cornerstone of Italian culture and food heritage. Tuscany is a region located in the central area of Italy and is known for its rolling landscapes. Some of the best-known cities in Tuscany are Florence, Pisa, Siena, and San Gimignano.

Tuscan cuisine has ancient origins, dating all the way back to the Etruscan people at around 800 BC. They were initially greatly influenced by both the Greeks and then in later years Rome. The region came into its own during the enlightenment years of the Renaissance, with the likes of such masters as Michaelangelo, Da Vinci, and Raphael. Here, great master chefs were brought into the noble courts and expected to prepare very elaborate and original dishes which went on to have influenced many other European cuisines.

Ancient Tuscans took a liking to a less elaborate and more simple type of dish, a more affordable cuisine. Their food was simple but very complex, as they experimented and developed many techniques that are used the world over, even to this day!

With the availability of beans, barley, fruits, vegetables, wine, and olive oil along with raised livestock as sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle the Tuscan diet was starting to take shape. This would be a style of cooking based on the abundance of readily available foods and not on the amount of wealth the people had.

Game meats are particularly popular in Tuscany, with such animals as wild boar, rabbit, deer, and pheasant. These meats are often roasted and served over pappardelle – are large, broad, flat pasta, similar to fettuccine. Tuscany’s simple and fresh presentations are so inspiring with the highlight of garlic, basil, and other herbs,  simple, flavorful, and unforgettable.