A thematic itinerary exploring Florentine and Tuscan cuisine, typical products, and the flavors of local gastronomy.
We will visit the Mercato Centrale in San Lorenzo, with its countless stalls filled with delicious cheeses and cured meats, truffle and mushroom sauces, the best red wines from Chianti, the most flavorful olive oils from the Tuscan hills, and the finest cuts of meat that give rise to the famous Florentine steak. We will also explore the historic center in search of small shops and hidden trattorias that still preserve the secrets of ancient peasant recipes, and you will get to know the trippai and their lampredotto sandwich, a specialty that Florentines simply can’t resist!
Dishes for the poor and dishes for the rich: the lampredotto sandwich and the Florentine steak.
The most typical sandwich in Florence is undoubtedly the one with lampredotto. Sold at the trippai stalls, which are very crowded around lunchtime, it can be found in Piazza del Mercato Nuovo or Piazza dei Cimatori, as well as outside the historic center, where locals, especially artisans and workers, mix with curious tourists eager to try this unusual delicacy! The term “lampredotto” comes from “lampreda,” a common fish once found in the Arno, due to the resemblance to the shape of the fish’s mouth. In reality, the scientific name for this part of the calf is “abomasum,” the fourth stomach of the ruminant. Not particularly fatty, substantial enough to serve as a meal, it is characterized by a somewhat wrinkled appearance, light brown in color, with a thin and tender texture. Enriched with green sauce and hot sauce, it takes on a savory and unmistakable flavor. It is boiled for a long time with herbs, and when finely sliced, it constitutes the filling of the sandwich, called “semelle,” the top part of which is essential from a stall—definitely worth trying!
If lampredotto represents the poor and popular aspect of Florentine cuisine, the steak is its ideal counterpart. A prized cut of meat, weighing over a kilo, strictly from Chianina breed beef, with a T-shaped bone, is referred to by outsiders as “la fiorentina,” while here it is simply called “la bistecca!”
The cooking should be done for just a few minutes on each side over the grill, enough to form a crispy crust and seal the juices inside, leaving the interior red, tender, and juicy. The Florentine steak can only be enjoyed this way; it is forbidden to ask for a longer cooking time, as any restaurateur will refuse!
Tourist guides in Florence must answer the fateful question every day: where can one eat a good Florentine steak? Practically every restaurant in Florence offers it on their menu, both in the city center and outside the walls, so there’s no shortage of choices!
Loaves of bread and traditional pastries. The guided tour continues in search of bakeries, pastry shops, and gelaterias.
Those who taste the bread for the first time are taken aback because it is unsalted. For us Florentines, this is completely normal; this is how bread has always been at our daily table. Various historical sources attest to this characteristic lack of salt. In the 19th century, Tuscan sharecroppers preferred to save salt by not using it in bread, reserving it for preserving pork. The sources refer to “sciocco” bread, the tasteless Tuscan bread. Looking back in time, we find the famous dispute between the Florentines and the Pisans when Florence, unwilling to pay for salt from Pisa, preferred to make unsalted bread. Even in the Divine Comedy, in the 17th canto of Paradise, when Dante meets his ancestor Cacciaguida, there is a reference: Cacciaguida describes the anguish of someone exiled far from their hometown who will be forced to eat bread different from what they were used to.
“Tu proverai sì come sa di sale lo pane altrui, e come è dure calle lo scendere e il salir per l’altrui calle”
Tuscan bread has obtained Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status: according to the regulations, it must be produced in Tuscany, strictly without salt, using flours made from wheat varieties historically cultivated here, along with sourdough and water.
Visiting Florence with a local tour guide also means getting to know the sweet specialties! The schiacciata fiorentina, for example, is prepared during the Carnival season, although we can also find it in Florentine pastry shops and bakeries beyond that, up until Easter. It is unmistakable, rectangular in shape, with powdered sugar covering the entire top layer and a chocolate powder fleur-de-lis of Florence in the center. It is a simple dessert with few ingredients, characterized by a citrus note from the orange zest.
And who hasn’t heard of the biscotti di Prato, also known as cantuccini? They are dry cookies that can be stored for a long time, thanks to the double baking in the oven. The most traditional ones are made with almonds, but there are also exquisite variations with pistachios, raisins, and chocolate. During the guided tour, you will discover where the original cantucci are made, from the first bakery established in the 19th century, which is still active today.
For chocolate lovers, I will introduce two Florentine delicacies at the most renowned pastry shops and specialty stores. And how can we overlook gelato? Since gelato originated in Florence in the 16th century at the Medici court, a stop at the best gelaterias is a must during the culinary and sweet specialties tour.
We can say that gelato was invented by Bernardo Buontalenti, an artist at the Medici court and the favorite of Grand Duke Francesco I. For him, Buontalenti built the Tribuna degli Uffizi, but his brilliant personality was also perfectly suited to organizing parties and banquets, even inventing spectacular fireworks displays. Buontalenti prepared a specialty for the Medici guests, drawing inspiration from sorbet made with ice and fruit, but adding milk and honey. Sorbet had existed for centuries; even in Ancient Egypt, similar frozen beverages were prepared. Buontalenti’s innovation was the use of multiple ingredients, with milk as the key element, creating a more elaborate recipe. He also built numerous ice houses for storing ice, including those in Boboli, where snow was stored and served as a refrigerant for food to be served at court.
Specialties for refined palates: prosciutto and finocchiona, the stars of Tuscan appetizers.
The trattorias in Florence offer a rich variety of appetizers, the most typical of which is undoubtedly the Tuscan platter, featuring cured meats, cheese, coccoli, and crostini. Tuscan ham is particularly flavorful, aged for 12 months, with little fat. Finocchiona and sbriciolona are cured meats made from pork, flavored with fennel. “Don’t fool me” (Non mi infinocchiare) is a Florentine saying that originates from the use of fennel to mask the unpleasant odors of less-than-fresh meats… Delicious coccoli are served with stracchino cheese and ham, and the crostini with chicken liver pâté, commonly referred to as crostini neri, are a must-try.
These are just some of the culinary specialties of Florence that you will discover during the guided tour. You will also be directed to the best shops to buy quality local products, from grocery stores to wine shops, delicatessens, historical cafés, and pastry shops.
And if you want to try the modern ‘Buontalenti,’ you only need to visit the renowned gelateria and pastry shop Badiani, which created the famous gelato flavor in the late 1960s, made with cream, eggs, and milk, aptly named Buontalenti in honor of the artist of the Medici court.