Italian Food (11)
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Italian Food (11)

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food

Linda is going to Italy tomorrow, so I've had to omit a lot of things.

Dripdrip, there's meat in the first paragraph.

Lampredotto

Lampredotto is the quintessential Florentine street food and is made with the fourth and final stomach of the cow. Lampredotto is slow-cooked in a vegetable broth enriched with tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery and parsley. Traditionally, it's chopped up to order and served in a panini (sandwich), the upper half is dipped in the broth. Lampredotto can also be topped with a green sauce (salsa verde) or a spicy sauce. Lampredotto is also served in restaurants. To be honest, even though I don’t like tripe (trippa), I have to admit lampredotto looks inviting.

Tuscany isn’t exactly known for its pastries. Most desserts have a chewy or crunchy texture and contain nuts and spices.

Cantucci (Cantuccio, singular)

What you call biscotti is actually cantucci. These biscuits are twice-baked, oblong-shaped, dry, crunchy and made with flour, eggs, sugar (or honey) and whole almonds. Cantucci and Vin Santo (a dessert wine) are a match made in heaven, so much so that it’s tradition, even in restaurants, to end the meal by dipping a biscuit in the wine before eating it.

Panforte (IGP)

Panforte literally means strongbread. Panforte is a chewy cake usually made with almonds, hazelnuts, honey, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, candied fruit, clove and other spices. It’s actually a Christmas dessert, but who cares. It has IGP status, so you know what to look for. Panpepato, or pampapato, is a more complex version of Panforte that builds on its flavours by adding cocoa powder, chocolate, grape must and other stuff.

Castagnaccio

This is made all over Italy, so it’s not exclusively a Tuscan dessert. As the name suggests, castagnaccio is a chewy cake made with chestnut flour. It’s to die for.

I hope you’ve all enjoyed this mini-series. Linda, if you have any questions or need any help (language or food) during your holiday, I’m at your disposal.

Linda, are you planning to go to All'Antico Vinaio? If so, make sure you don't go during rush hour.

Headline image by jonko on Unsplash

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