TUSCAN SPECIALITIES
In addition to its fairytale cultural landscape, Tuscany also has some culinary highlights that no gourmet should miss! Besides first-class wines such as the "Chianti" or the "Brunello", there is also a cult for Tuscan olive oil.
Typical delicacies from the Tuscan cuisine
There are as well delicacies from Tuscan rural cuisine, such as the coarse “Finocchiona” sausage seasoned with fennel or the spicy “Prosciutto aromático” ham from Siena. Porchetta”, a crispy fried and sliced young pig filled with herbs, garlic and spices, is popular at markets and popular festivals. The province of Pienza supplies spicy sheep’s cheese and the aromatic “pecorino” from the coastal Maremma also enjoys a very good reputation!
The Tuscan olive oil
The excellent climatic conditions with the mild Mediterranean climate favour the growth of many olive varieties in the region. The harvest takes place in November and December, when it is cool and sunny. Everything smells of freshly pressed olive oil when the ripe olives are processed in the oil mills. In the meantime, the olives are often taken from the trees with electric “vibrators”, but many farms still do this by hand. The olives are gently collected in the nets and then immediately pressed.
After washing and drying, the olives and their seeds are crushed in the press, mixed and the light oil separated from the heavy amniotic fluid. Strict rules apply here if the oil is to be given a certain quality designation. With an acid content of less than 0.8%, it can be described as “extra virgin”. In Tuscany you usually find olive oils with less than 0.5% acidity! It tastes fruity, slightly spicy and slightly bitter. The olive oil “vergine” already has an acid content of up to 2%.
It is almost a philosophy whether the oil is pressed from a single type of olive or whether it should be a noble mixture. The pure oil belongs to an absolute delicacy and this is also noticeable in the price!
The wines of Tuscany
Probably the best known wine of Tuscany is the heavy, dark red “Chianti Classico”, which is produced in the Chianti region between Florence in the north and Siena in the south. It is mainly pressed in the Chianti area around Greve, Radda, Castellina and Gaiole. North of the core area as in Rúfina east of Florence follow the lighter red wines as for example the “Chianti Putto”. The white “Galestro” also comes from the Chianti region and has become a fashionable wine.
Other well-known wines are the heavy “Vino Nobile di Montepulciano” from the Montepulciano area, as well as the deep red and almost unaffordable “Brunello di Montalcino” from Montalcino. Also in the coastal Maremma you can find wonderful quality wines like the “Morellino di Scansano”, which is pressed like the Brunello from Sangiovese grapes. White wines are most commonly found in the form of Vernacchia di San Gimignano and the high-quality Montecario and Bianco di Pitigliano, which are hardly known outside Tuscany.
Booking and further information
Enjoy the culinary variety of the beautiful region in Central Italy on an individually organized group tour to Tuscany or a custom-made corporate event, like a congress in Florence or any other city of the region. We are looking forward to your no-obligation request via e-mail, our contact form or by phone +49 611 945879-42!
Tuscany is the most popular region.
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Etruscans in Tuscany
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Geographical position
Landscape of Tuscany
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Renaissance in Tuscany
The Tuscan Archipelago
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Tuscan specialities
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