Tuscany and Romagna: the “poor” kitchen of the tradition

A border land, connecting two regions that were under the same domain for many centuries. Tuscany and Romagna shared for ages the same culture, sometimes a very similar language (especially in the Tuscan Romagna of the mountains) and also the same food.

Shared cooking traditions: the Tuscan Romagna

People living in bordering areas are used to share everything: stories, traditions, legends and food. Poor dishes made with products available in the country yards were the alimentary basis of people. And still now these dishes are a very important part of nowadays people’s life, what they eat every day and what you can taste in local restaurants.

Chestnuts, mushrooms, truffles, underwood fruits but also wild meat are still cooked in the old way, even if you can find around some interesting experiments made by young chefs such as Massimiliano and Matteo Cameli, who try to renew the tradition, working on the cooking technique on basic products.

Panzanella, sfoglia lorda: what else?

Combine needs and imagination, invention and evolution, adaptation and experiences of others also, to enhance aromas and flavors of each product. The consumption, vital to the economy of this mountainous area, has originated a simple and sober kitchen, closely linked to the seasons and the products of the earth, the forest and breeding. Forced to make the best of what it was available, people learned to exploit every refined product, even the most humble and poor. Here the bread, which follows the Tuscan use, unsalted, dominates the table and in the preparation of simple dishes (appetizers, soups) as acquacotta (originally poor dish, remember transhumance and charcoal), ribollita, bread soup, the pappa al pomodoro and panzanella, to name only the most famous dishes.

The great forests of the area, since the summer in November, giving many varieties of mushrooms (the excellent porcini of oak, beech, chestnut, cockerels or giallarine, the drum sticks or barugiole) that end up in sauces, sautéed mixed in, in the pan in the oven, in omelets and fries, or - raw - in salads. This autumn, as well as mushrooms, is a good season for the truffle - the triumph of the palate - - and chestnuts. Chestnuts are consumed in many ways: fresh, are roasted (burnt or bricie) or boiled in water for ballotte or Baloci; dried, peeled and used for soup (boiled, with salt, until obtaining a thick broth); ground, give the traditional cake flour for Bardino or chestnut and sweet chestnut polenta, then cut into slices to eat with cottage cheese.

A must be if you visit this area to explore it through the tastes of traditions.