Sausages of Tuscany

Dear Friends,

During a trip to Tuscany, you cannot forget to try our food- especially our ham and sausage, considered to be some of the best in the world.

The king of all sausages in Tuscany is, without a doubt, ham. There are many different cuts of Tuscan ham of all prices; in my opinion, all are good, including those of a lower price. If you would like to try one of the fancier cuts, my recommendation is the famous "Prosciutto di Cinta Senese".

                                                                                                            

This type of ham, comparable by price and flavor to the ham of the acorn-fed Spanish pigs, is considered the best ham in all of Italy. It comes from a special type of pig (that of the picture) that follows a special diet.

The second type of sausage I recommend you try is "Finocchiona". This type of sausage is cured with fennel and black pepper and comes from the loin.

Another delicious sausage is the Salcicce(butifarras). Salcicce can be cut from pig, boar, or deer; however, I prefer Salcicce from pig and cured with salt and pepper. 

One last type of sausage I recommend is called "Soppressata". These sausages are made from the poor parts of the pig and are quite a bit cheaper, but they are also deicious and you can make a great dinner out of these and different types of cheese.

I will talk about the different types of cheese in my next article.

I hope all of this is of help to you on your visit to Tuscany! 

Kind regards,

George

Osterie di Toscana: Acquacheta

Dear Friends,

Today, I would like to talk to you all about a new restaurant in Tuscany, which you should visit without a doubt, if you ever find yourself in the area of Montepulciano and Cortona.

There are several friends of this blog who have mentioned this restaurant before, but I think that it's worth it to revisit the topic once again, so that those of you visiting the area can experience this lovely restaurant.

Giulio, the owner, has two distinguished virtues: the first of which is his friendliness, which makes this Osteria the liveliest and most cheerful place in the area. The second is the fact that he's been able to maintain the quality of this place for such a long time, always keeping the menu simple and not too expensive based on seasonal products. This year, the Osteria has kicked off the season with a new incentive: "Bring your own wine".

For more information about this unique restaurant, I would recommend that you visit the following link:  Osteria Aquacheta Montepulciano

Now I must bid you all farewell by showing you this charming series of photos and a video of the Osteria.


Kind Regards,

George Toscano

Black Truffles in Tuscany

Dear Friends,

Winter has arrived in Tuscany and with it the fruits of this season, among which I want to particularly highlight black truffles since they are one of the products that you simply must try on a trip to Tuscany.

The Truffles are truly delicious, difficult to find and extremely expensive, this being said, owing to the little gastronomic culture that exists around the product it�s important that you have some information to be able to distinguish them.

In fact one must be careful when ordering a dish with truffles because, as is the case with mushrooms, there are many different varieties that make them more or less expensive depending on the quality and quantity available in the market.

 

We�ll start with the �Tuber aestivum Vittad.�This is the most typical type of truffle, in Italian it is known as the �Scrozone nero� or �tartufo d�estate.�  

As the Italian name indicates, it is a truffle which can also be found in the summer. The period between the 15^thof June and the 30^th of November is that during which it is usually found and it is the truffle that most restaurants will offer since it is the most abundant but also the least fragrant. It is easily distinguished from the other two varieties I�m going to talk about due to its brown colour once open.

Much better than the first and stronger in flavour is the �Tuber melanosporum Vittad" known by the Italians as "tartufo nero pregiato," �Precious� black truffle.

 This variety is found from the beginning of November up until the end of March and is one of the best black truffles out there. In fact, this truffle needs cold and dry weather to reach its peak.

 The third and final type of truffle that you can find at this time of year is the
"Tuber macrosporum Vittad," �tartufo nero liscio� or �smooth� black truffle.

 This one has a short season from the beginning of October until the end of December. It also has an excellent aroma and is perfect for giving flavour to pasta or fried eggs.

All this considered I recommend you ask what type of truffles are being served and certainly to try dishes using the second and third varieties which are much tastier.

Hopefully this information will be useful on your next trip to Tuscany!