Cooking in the Tuscan Kitchen
Tuscany is known for some great wine and food, but let's look back on where Tuscany began.
Dating back to 1,000 BC, the Etruscan people inhabited Tuscany. They moved in many different directions around Italy, but more importantly, they began draining the swamps of the Padana. The Etruscan people were the first to do a lot of things and actually were the ones to teach the Romans. The Romans got a lot of the credit because they became faster and better at the skills. The population was very artistic with many paintings, drawings, and sculptures still around today. They were also good mariners, but focused more on traveling on the swamps and rivers of Italy, rather than the sea.
For this population, food was very important. They held banquets in tombs and ate multiple times a day, while the Romans only ate once. On tombs today, the drawings reveal tools for pasta making and through other drawings, we can see their love for food. The Etruscan people ate a lot of beans, "yogurt" (which was really milk and some acid), sheep cheese, fish, eels, and seafood.
I looked further into this interesting population of people and here is what I found:
The Etruscan civilization was powerful and wealthy, distinguished by a unique language. The ancient Romans referred to the Etruscans as the Trusi or Etrusci, which originates from Tuscany and refers to Etruria, the wider region. Historians have no literature from the Etruscan, therefore there are no texts of religion or philosophy. This means that most of the known information of their civilization is from grave goods and tomb findings. The expansion of the Etruscan people went north beyond the Apennine Mountains and also south into Campania.
One of the most influential families on Italy, the Medici family, lived in Tuscany. Caterina di Medici was a cook who spread the traditions of Italian food. She brought onion soup and gelato to France (not together), influencing the French to create the French cuisine/dishes we see today.
The following are some of the words I believe help define the cuisine of Tuscany:
- Hearty: The dishes we created today were very earthy, flavorful, and made you feel warm in side (for no better way of saying it!).
- There was a lot of meat, like rabbit and boar. These two meats add a totally different flavor to some dishes made back home with beef. One must remember the mountains in Tuscany, therefore they have a huge influence of mountain food!
- Lots of olive oil was used today - I will talk about the dish I made today in a minute!
- Bread! Bread in Tuscany is made without salt, mainly because salumi is important there. Furthermore, a lot of the recipes made today had bread in them.
- Pasta with little egg
The dish I made today was called Pici Senesi which is a pasta made with durum wheat flour and water. It is then rested, but this dough is different from the others I have made: it is very soft and can be rolled out many times without drying out. The strains are very long and thick and they are rolled out by hand in a very rustic way to give some texture to it. Below is the dish I created with toasted breadcrumbs and olive oil. The breadcrumbs added a burst of garlic and olive oil flavor that would be totally different without. This was a dish I was not sure about in the beginning, but it was delicious!
Fun Fact of the Day
List the DOC wine regions of Toscana and name all the different types of grapes being used to make wines.
Tignanello: This is the denomination given to a new wine at the beginning of the 70's. It is produced in the old establishment and the name has been given from the area where it is produced
Brunello di Montalcino: A red wine DOCG produced in Montalcino and together with Barolo they are considered the king and queen of Tuscan wines. This wine is made with 100% sangiovese grapes.
Chianti is also made with 100% sangiovese grapes, but it just has not met the standards of Brunello di Montacino.
Bolgheri Sassicaia: This is a DOC an the production is only allowed in a specific area of Castagneto Carducci. It must be produced with at least 80% Cabernet Sauvignon. This specific wine is one of the best (and most expensive) Italian wines.
With Love,
Baylee
Dating back to 1,000 BC, the Etruscan people inhabited Tuscany. They moved in many different directions around Italy, but more importantly, they began draining the swamps of the Padana. The Etruscan people were the first to do a lot of things and actually were the ones to teach the Romans. The Romans got a lot of the credit because they became faster and better at the skills. The population was very artistic with many paintings, drawings, and sculptures still around today. They were also good mariners, but focused more on traveling on the swamps and rivers of Italy, rather than the sea.
For this population, food was very important. They held banquets in tombs and ate multiple times a day, while the Romans only ate once. On tombs today, the drawings reveal tools for pasta making and through other drawings, we can see their love for food. The Etruscan people ate a lot of beans, "yogurt" (which was really milk and some acid), sheep cheese, fish, eels, and seafood.
I looked further into this interesting population of people and here is what I found:
The Etruscan civilization was powerful and wealthy, distinguished by a unique language. The ancient Romans referred to the Etruscans as the Trusi or Etrusci, which originates from Tuscany and refers to Etruria, the wider region. Historians have no literature from the Etruscan, therefore there are no texts of religion or philosophy. This means that most of the known information of their civilization is from grave goods and tomb findings. The expansion of the Etruscan people went north beyond the Apennine Mountains and also south into Campania.
One of the most influential families on Italy, the Medici family, lived in Tuscany. Caterina di Medici was a cook who spread the traditions of Italian food. She brought onion soup and gelato to France (not together), influencing the French to create the French cuisine/dishes we see today.
The following are some of the words I believe help define the cuisine of Tuscany:
- Hearty: The dishes we created today were very earthy, flavorful, and made you feel warm in side (for no better way of saying it!).
- There was a lot of meat, like rabbit and boar. These two meats add a totally different flavor to some dishes made back home with beef. One must remember the mountains in Tuscany, therefore they have a huge influence of mountain food!
- Lots of olive oil was used today - I will talk about the dish I made today in a minute!
- Bread! Bread in Tuscany is made without salt, mainly because salumi is important there. Furthermore, a lot of the recipes made today had bread in them.
- Pasta with little egg
The dish I made today was called Pici Senesi which is a pasta made with durum wheat flour and water. It is then rested, but this dough is different from the others I have made: it is very soft and can be rolled out many times without drying out. The strains are very long and thick and they are rolled out by hand in a very rustic way to give some texture to it. Below is the dish I created with toasted breadcrumbs and olive oil. The breadcrumbs added a burst of garlic and olive oil flavor that would be totally different without. This was a dish I was not sure about in the beginning, but it was delicious!
Fun Fact of the Day
List the DOC wine regions of Toscana and name all the different types of grapes being used to make wines.
Tignanello: This is the denomination given to a new wine at the beginning of the 70's. It is produced in the old establishment and the name has been given from the area where it is produced
Brunello di Montalcino: A red wine DOCG produced in Montalcino and together with Barolo they are considered the king and queen of Tuscan wines. This wine is made with 100% sangiovese grapes.
Chianti is also made with 100% sangiovese grapes, but it just has not met the standards of Brunello di Montacino.
Bolgheri Sassicaia: This is a DOC an the production is only allowed in a specific area of Castagneto Carducci. It must be produced with at least 80% Cabernet Sauvignon. This specific wine is one of the best (and most expensive) Italian wines.
With Love,
Baylee
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