Tuscany cuisine is one of the most wholesome dietary choices around. The simple recipes are full of flavorful ingredients that combine together to create rich, hearty meals with Mediterranean flair. The exact definition of Tuscan is vague, but the term gets abused by commercial Italian restaurants at times. To understand how authentic dishes made from recipes born in the villas in Tuscany creates a well-rounded Italian food experience; you need to know a little about the history behind the fare.
History of Italian Cookery
History shows that Italian cuisine is a hodgepodge of many different influences. The roots of this distinctive cooking style go back as far as the 4th century in the area that would become Italy. Over the centuries, travelers have added touches to create the characteristic taste we connect to Italian food.
The first chef associated with the Italian style was actually Greek Sicilian. Archestratus wrote a poem that discussed how not to mask the flavor of seasonal ingredients with an excess of spices. Over the years, the land changed hands between the Romans, Arabs and Greeks, so the various cooks of these nations refined the culinary traditions.
The Tuscany Influence
Just north of Rome is 8,900 sq. acres known as Tuscany. Famous chefs such as Pellegrino Artusi took the blueprint of Italian style cooking created throughout history and expanded on it to include ingredients native to their homeland of Tuscany. That is the essence of true Tuscan flavor. Tuscany is the home to a variety of fine cheeses, olive oils and fresh meats. The combination of these ingredients helps to bring out the natural flavor in foods.
The Nature of Tuscany Cuisine
Tuscany cuisine celebrates the foods that grow locally. For example, it is the home of the Chianti region, an area that grows fine grape varietals for wine making. Wines from Tuscany often are key elements in Italian food preparation and service.
Fresh local and seasonable vegetables are also found in most Tuscany recipes. Regional tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese are favorites from this area. Italians turn crusty bread into a memorable appetizer by soaking it in Tuscan olive oil and then seasoning it with sea salt.
Enjoying the cuisine is as much a part of visiting the villas in Tuscany as the architecture or the local art. When travelling to Italy, you will encounter a lot of food, but the dishes that include the Tuscany style will be some of the most flavorful and healthy around.
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