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A few words that will make your mouth water... Tuscan... templation!
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Tuscan cooking is famous throughout the world for its simple and timeless flavours, the end result of centuries of healthy country fare that has never lost sight of its origins. Many restaurants offer these local specialities, which, to be quite honest, are hard to beat. Traditional starters: tasty chicken liver canapes, usually served with a mixed plate of Tuscan cured hams, or perhaps fettunta (toasted bread rubbed with garlic and topped with only the best olive oil.
First courses: the famous Florentine soups of beans or chick peas, spelt and vegetables (ribollita, pappa al pomodoro or zuppa di farro). Local pasta dishes are usually with a meat sauce (go for the pappardelle (ribbon pasta) with hare sauce in the hunting season).
Meat courses: invariably roasted or grilled. A must in Florence is the famous steak, which should be thick and crisply grilled. Stews are rarer in Tuscan cooking, while tripe is typically Florentine and very popular.
Vegetables: always seasonal, though beans and chick peas are popular throughout the year. Try the delicious spinach tossed in oil, rosemary flavoured roast potatoes, light batter-fried veggies and the fresh salad mixes. Note the importance of olive oil in Tuscan menus. Grown and milled on the farms, it was one of the most nourishing ingredients in all country diets.
To enjoy the best of traditional cooking we advise you to try dining at ZàZà in Piazza Mercato Centrale, 26-27r (tel. 055.281015). Tourists adore it, Florentines love it and even vips make a point of dining there. This characteristic trattoria also has tables in the historic square that hosts the Market of San Lorenzo. It is famous for its traditional and typical Florentine cuisine, but also for the wide range of fish dishes and delicious home made desserts.
An excellent dining alternative is NapoLeone in Piazza del Carmine 24 (tel. 055.281015), which also has outdoor tables giving onto the square. It is only open for dinner and serves fresh fish, typical meat dishes and a wide variety of pizzas. The interior offers the atmosphere of an old Parisian cafè.
Grotta di Leo in Via della Scala, 41/43r (tel. 055.219265) offers mouthwatering traditional Tuscan and Mediterranean menus, as well as delicious pizzas every day in its delightful interior and at its tables outside.
In Via Panzani 57r, La Dantesca, overlooking Piazza Santa Maria Novella (tel. 055.212287), is a real pizza paradise, though it also offers Tuscan menus and alternative dishes, many based on fish. Eat inside in the cool air conditioned dining room or outside and enjoy the view over the square.
The O!O Bar con Cucina in Piazza Piattellina 7r, just off Piazza del Carmine (tel. 055.212917), offers biological meals and snacks throughout the day, from delicious morning muffins to typical Mediterranean platters that can also be enjoyed on its outside terrace.
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