30 Best Traditional Tuscan Foods To Eat in Tuscany

If you’re visiting the Italian region of Tuscany, in addition to the charming villages, gorgeous scenery, and historic artworks, you’ll want to explore the traditional Tuscan foods!

But what is Tuscany known for? What is Tuscany famous for? Well, much of the best Tuscan food has roots in what is known as “cucina povera,” or “cuisine of the poor.” In other words, many traditional Tuscan dishes have ancient origins using inexpensive, simple ingredients, oftentimes even leftovers.

Make no mistake, that does NOT mean traditional Tuscan food is on the bottom rung of Italian cuisine. On the contrary! These typical dishes of the poor have withstood the test of time, and have evolved into mouthwatering staples of contemporary Tuscan cuisine.

Even if you know and love Italian food, I’m guessing many of the popular Tuscany foods on our list will be unfamiliar to you.

Because different regions of Italy are known for different foods, dining in Tuscany, Italy, is very different from dining in Rome in central Italy, or eating in Bologna, Milan, or Venice in northern Italy. And it’s way different than eating at your hometown Italian restaurant.

But don’t think of the situation as Tuscan vs Italian food. Simply put, all Tuscan food is Italian food, but not all Italian food is Tuscan food.

As a chef, foodie, and lover of travel, the most important of my travel tips when it comes to eating away from home is to always eat the food of the locals to get the most authentic, delicious experience.

That being said, this Tuscan food guide will help you discover which delicious dishes and local products suit your taste buds best. But, of course, the best way to really know is to try them all!

Best Traditional Tuscan Foods

Bistecca alla Fiorentina

This Florentine Steak is so simply prepared, yet one of the best steaks you’ll ever eat.

A giant, EXTRA thick T-Bone steak that would make the Flinstones proud is seasoned with salt and black pepper, herb-brushed with olive oil, then grilled “al sangue,” or rare. Afterward, it is either sliced tableside or presented sliced, with the T-Bone itself as the centerpiece of the mouthwatering display.

Following tradition, Chianina cattle must be the source of this beautiful cut of steak. The Chianina is an ancient Tuscan breed revered for the flavorful meat it provides.

Traditionally served with cannellini beans and seasonal vegetables, this main course pairs well with Brunello di Montalcino, a lovely Tuscan red wine that is a perfect match for this king of steaks.

This regal dish was said to have been a favorite of the Medici family, and even of Caterina de’ Medici, the ultimate Florentine foodie of her time. Good enough to be served at Medici banquets, there’s no wonder why the still impressive Bistecca Fiorentina remains one of the most popular Tuscan dishes.

Bistecca alla Fiorentina, one of the most popular traditional Tuscan foods

Brigidini

These thin, crispy wafers made from egg, sugar, flour, and anise are said to have been invented by nuns of the order of Saint Brigida centuries ago. However, they are still a mainstay of fairs, carnivals, and street markets throughout Tuscany today.

Today’s brigidini street vendors still travel from Lamporecchio—the small town near Pistoia where the Brigidine nuns had their convent—to sell their hometown hit throughout the region.

When in Tuscany, passing people on the street eating these treats right out of the long, cylindrical bags in which they come is a sure sign a festival or market day is underway nearby. Luckily, this tasty Tuscan tradition shows no signs of abating.

Brigidini and the sweet wine Vin Santo pair up as a dessert duo in the Tuscan town of Pistoia

Buccellato

Buccellato is a popular sweet bread that is a specialty of Lucca. The ring-shaped bread was once primarily made to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Cross in September and given to children as their traditional Confirmation gift. Now, it’s an everyday delight for a tasty Italian breakfast or snack.

The center is tender and flavored by raisins and anise seed. The exterior is egg-washed, giving it a dark brown sheen.

Uncharacteristically, my first Buccellato brought me to tears—literally. The intense aroma of anise flooded me with memories of my Italian grandparents and then flooded my face with tears. They were happy tears, but very unexpected. What you should expect is a delicious slice of contemporary life in Lucca passed down from countless generations.

Cantucci

Biscotti is the generic Italian term for twice-baked biscuits, and breakfast in Italy often includes a biscotti or two.

Cantucci are a particular type of biscotti that originated in the town of Prato, Tuscany. For this reason, they are sometimes called biscotti di Prato.

Whatever the name, they are filled with almonds, crunchy, and traditionally enjoyed with Vin Santo, a sweet dessert wine that also hails from Tuscany—for dessert, not breakfast.

Cantucci themselves are not particularly sweet, so they are dunked in the Vin Santo to absorb its flavors, and together the biscuits and wine make a sweet treat.

Cantucci, a typical Tuscan food served for dessert

Castagnaccio

Castagnaccio is a Tuscan chestnut cake first created in Lucca. Known as an autumnal treat, this dense cake is typically made with chestnut flour, raisins, pine nuts, walnuts, rosemary, olive oil, and water.

Made without eggs, butter, yeast, or sugar, this dense, savory creation is intended to pay homage to the important role that chestnuts historically played as a staple within the local diet. To counterbalance the cake’s savory nature, it is often served with Vin Santo, which as you now know, is a sweet Tuscan dessert wine.

One of the popular Tuscan foods made from chestnuts, Castagnaccio, or Tuscan chestnut cake

Cinghiale in Umido

This Tuscan wild boar stew is commonly enjoyed during the fall/winter hunting season. The freshly procured meat is soaked overnight in a red-wine-and-vinegar-based marinade of carrots, celery, onions, garlic, olive oil, and tomato sauce seasoned with bay leaves, red chili flakes, and juniper berries.

The next day, the chunks of meat are browned, then brought to a boil with the other ingredients and simmered for several hours. The result is a hearty stew showcasing flavorful, tender meat. When served with boiled cornmeal, as it often is, the dish increases in complexity and lengthens its name to Cinghiale in Umido con Polenta Alla Toscana.

If you’re traveling in Tuscany during the chilly end of the year, you should really try this rustic timeless treasure, one of the most typical Tuscan dishes of the season!

A very traditional Tuscan dish, Cinghiale in Umido con Polenta Alla Toscana, or Tuscan wild boar stew with polenta

Crostini di Fegato

If you’re a fan of chicken livers, Crostini di Fegato is for you! It’s a classic “piatto povero,” or “poor dish” of Tuscan chicken liver pâté served atop toasted Italian bread.

Sometimes called Crostini di Fegatini or Crostini Neri, the dish was originally a way for the impoverished to stretch their meagre food options by frying up less desirable parts of the chicken to make a spread that could be applied to toasted stale bread.

Today, this former peasant dish is such a staple of Tuscan cuisine it’s sometimes simply called Crostini Toscani. Flavored with anchovies and capers, these appetizers are known for their telltale briny twang.

A plate of typical savory Tuscan treats, with Crostini di Fegato front left

Farinata di Cavolo Nero

This hearty vegetable Tuscan soup is called upon to warm hearts and lift spirits during the dark days of winter. Translated as Tuscan Kale and Polenta Soup, this simple meal has become an iconic cold-weather Tuscan comfort food.

It is flavored by the unique local kale that has long been grown by Tuscan farmers. Since kale is part of the cabbage family, this particular variety is sometimes called black cabbage or black kale because of the deep dark purple color of its leaves.

Thickened by polenta flour, augmented by beans, and topped by a drizzle of olive oil, this one-pot meal hits the spot not once but twice. Whatever is left of the thick soup is spread out in a pan overnight. The next day, it is grilled or fried, cut into polenta squares, and enjoyed as an encore dish.

One of the original Tuscan comfort foods, Farinata di Cavolo Nero

Finocchiona Salami

Emilia-Romagna may be the salumi capital of Italy, but Finocchiona is the most beloved of all salamis in Tuscany. Its name derives from the fact that this pork sausage gets its distinctive flavor from finocchio—fennel.

In the late Middle Ages during a time when pepper was particularly expensive, fennel seeds were used as a substitute Tuscan seasoning to flavor this Italian cold cut.

Wild fennel grew (and still grows) profusely in the Tuscan countryside and thus was a plentiful, cheap, and flavorful alternative to pepper. Cut into thin slices, Finocchiona is an excellent choice to broaden the flavor spectrum when putting together any Italian salumi board.

Gnocchi di Castagne

Gnocchi di Castagne, or Chestnut Dumplings, were among the first gnocchi ever made. That’s probably because since time immemorial chestnuts have been a free, abundant food source provided by the chestnut trees that cover much of the mountainous countryside of Tuscany.

Even the poorest of the poor could make chestnut flour from nuts scooped off the forest floor and then transform the flour into tasty dumplings. Although the hard times of that distant past are long gone, and the Tuscan kitchen has many more ingredients at its disposal, these gnocchi remain a popular Tuscan dish, often served simply sprinkled with olive oil and dusted with grated cheese.

Chestnuts strewn on the forest floor in Tuscany

Lampredotto

The name of this typical Florentine dish comes from lamprey eels. Nope, this is not an eel dish. However, the lining of the fourth stomach of a cow resembles these particular eels, and that’s what kind of dish this is.

Considered a local specialty of Florence, Lambredotto is simmered with tomato, onion, celery, and herbs until it becomes soft. It can be served on its own or on a roll. It won’t be hard to find in Florence, since the Lampredotto sandwich is a popular Tuscan street food.

Olive Oil

At the heart of Tuscan cooking is olive oil. Many culinary experts consider Tuscan olive oil the best in Italy, if not the world. Lucca, Chianti, and Vinci are the major producers, and that’s where you’ll see acres upon acres of picturesque olive groves spread out over the rolling hills of the region.

Extra virgin olive oil is the highest grade available and what is usually recommended as an ingredient in most classic Tuscan dishes and Italian recipes. In many Tuscan restaurants, you will find a bottle at room temperature on the table to drizzle on your bread.

If you are visiting Tuscany (especially in the fall), consider going on an olive oil tasting tour. And remember, since delicious olive oil is one of the things Tuscany is best known for, a bottle of local EVOO makes a wonderful Tuscan souvenir!

Pane Toscano

One of only six Italian regional breads to be awarded with the prestigious DOP status (Denominazione di Origine Protetta), Pane Toscano is the only one from Tuscany.

What is DOP? It’s a designation that means this food of Tuscany is guaranteed to be authentic since regulations ensure that high-quality local ingredients are used and traditional preparation methods are employed.

For example, authentic Pane Toscano is a saltless bread. It’s a rustic bread made to be consumed with salty salumi and cheese. So, if a baker adds salt, they will not be able to qualify their Pane Toscano for a DOP label.

Panforte

Panforte is a traditional Tuscan dessert originally from Siena. References to it date back as far as the year 1205, when it was used instead of currency by inhabitants of a monastery to pay a kind of tax to the monks.

Translating to “strong bread,” the name refers to the peppery taste of this round flat cake. Made with honey, dried figs, jam, nuts, and spices, Panforte can be served with dessert wines after a meal or with coffee for breakfast.

Although variations of the original recipe have been used for an incredibly long time, some modern Tuscan bakers are now getting a little creative by adding chocolate or dusting the top of the Panforte with powdered sugar.

Panzanella

One of the typical dishes of cucina povera, Panzanella uses stale bread to create an incredible salad. Today the main ingredients of this Tuscan bread salad include onions and fresh tomatoes.

However, the original recipe did not contain tomatoes, since Panzanella was first created before tomatoes had even been brought to Italy from the New World. Nowadays, cucumbers, lettuces, mozzarella, olives, and basil are all popular additions to the onions and tomatoes, and the dressing is a simple olive oil and vinegar. I make my Panzanella recipe with burrata, and it is my favorite salad. It makes a great dinner with a glass of white wine!

Because of the seasonal ingredients, Panzanella will usually appear on Tuscan menus only in the summertime. But I’ve had a winter version with mushrooms in Lucca that was superb!

The traditional Tuscan salad known as Panzanella evolved from a typical “cucina povera” dish that upcycled stale bread.

Pappa al Pomodoro

Yes, there are many foods in the region of Tuscany that utilize stale bread, and Pappa al Pomodoro is another classic. If you know that “pomodoro” means tomato, you’re halfway to knowing that this is a tomato bread soup.

Not to be confused with the smooth tomato soup that Americans eat, Pappa al Pomodoro is usually chunky. The best way to enjoy this stale Tuscan bread and tomato soup is hot, but it can also be served room temperature or chilled.

Although this soup has ancient origins, it is a food Tuscany still loves. You will often see it on Tuscan restaurant menus, and it’s a great dish for vegans visiting Italy.

Pappardelle alla Lepre

One of the best things about Tuscan cuisine is the abundance of pappardelle pasta. As already mentioned, the foods of Italy differ by region, and Tuscany has one of the best pastas to call its own: the extra-wide, long ribbon pasta, pappardelle!

Pappardelle alla Lepre, or Pappardelle with Hare Sauce, is one of the most traditional dishes using this Tuscan pasta. Hare, or rabbit, is not thought of as exotic in Italy, and you can even find Pappardelle alla Lepre at budget-friendly Tuscan restaurants.

The sauce is similar to the famous Bolognese you can enjoy while visiting Bologna in the Emilia-Romagna region. The hare is cooked in a tomato sauce that usually has carrots, onion, celery, and red wine, and then the hare meat sauce is tossed with the pasta.

The traditional Tuscan pasta dish, Pappardelle alla Lepre

Pappardelle al Cinghiale

Another one of the most traditional Tuscan pasta dishes made with pappardelle is Pappardelle al Cinghiale, aka Pappardelle with Wild Boar Sauce. Like hare, wild game such as boar is also common in Tuscan traditional recipes. If it gives you pause, think of it as pork. If you don’t eat pork, then skip anything with “cinghiale” in the name.

For the ragù di cinghiale, the meat is simmered with rosemary, garlic, sage, tomatoes, and red wine low and slow so that it becomes so tender that it shreds. The best Pappardelle al Cinghiale is served with fresh pasta, which most restaurants in Tuscany make themselves.

One of the best Tuscan pastas, Pappardelle al Cinghiale

Pecorino Toscano Cheese

Just like pastas, the cheeses of Italy are regional, and the the hard sheep’s milk cheese Pecorino Toscano reigns as king in Tuscany. However, pecorino cheese is made in other places in Italy, like Rome (Pecorino Romano), where it is used for one of the Italian capital’s famed pastas, Cacio e Pepe.

If you are eating in Tuscany and are offered grated hard cheese to sprinkle on your meal, it will most likely be Pecorino Toscano. And since the food from Tuscany is usually pretty amazing on its own, if you decline the addition, it won’t be your last chance to try it. You should have no problem finding this Tuscan cheese on a local cheese board.

Pici Pasta

What makes Tuscan Pici pasta so special? Have you ever had a pasta where each noodle was rolled by hand one by one? It’s highly unlikely outside of Tuscany, but that’s the requirement for authentic Pici pasta—in addition to being approximately 3 mm in diameter and 20 cm long.

Pronounced “pee-chee,” Pici can be paired with a variety of Tuscan sauces. One of the most common preparations is with olive oil, garlic, and breadcrumbs, and the other is a garlic tomato sauce.

Like other Tuscan pasta dishes, it appears on Tuscan dinner menus as a “primi,” or first course. And it is rarely found outside of central Italy.

Homemade pici and pappardelle pastas drying

Pinolata Toscana

Pinolata Toscana, or Tuscan Pine Nut Cake, is a lightly sweet yellow cake with a layer of pastry cream. The pastry cream may be plain, or you may find raisins soaked in Vin Santo in it. Unlike the case when they are used in chestnut cake, the pine nuts are left whole and baked into the cake.

In old recipes, you’ll find the use of typical Tuscan ingredients like olive oil used to moisten the batter. But in today’s Tuscan recipes, some will use butter.

Ribollita

The hearty soup from Tuscany, Ribollita, has medieval roots. After the lords gorged on dinner, the servants reboiled (“ribollita” means reboiled) the leftover vegetable soup with old bread. The vegetables used today will vary depending on the recipe, but white beans like cannellini, carrots, celery, and kale are common ingredients.

One of the quintessential foods of Tuscany that survived from peasant fare, Ribollita frequents menus specializing in “cucina tipica,” or regional Tuscan cuisine. My favorite version was from a little modest restaurant in San Gimignano. I ordered it for lunch and didn’t need to eat another bite of food until dinner.

One of the hearty Tuscan soups made with stale bread, Ribolitta

Schiacciata

Eating bread in Tuscany is a no-brainer, but make sure you include Schiacciata, Tuscan flat bread, on your list. Schiacciata means “squashed,” and this Tuscan bread resembles a squished focaccia sprinkled with sea salt.

Grab some from the local baker. Add a few slices of Finocchiona and Pecorino Toscano cheese, and enjoy a scrumptious lunch.

Schiacciata alla Fiorentina is another Tuscan Schiacciata well worth trying. This one is not a squashed bread, but a flat cake no more than 3 cm high. The cloistered nuns of Ghibellina in Florence baked Schiacciata alla Fiorentina, then known as Schiacciata delle Murate, as part of the last meal for those sentenced to death.

Today, Italians associate the orange-flavored Tuscan cake more with Carnevale than with prison, and it can even be found with the modern additions of chocolate or pastry creme.

Tagliata Rucola e Grana

Perhaps the simplest of Tuscan meat dishes, Tagliata (sliced beef) Rucola (arugula) e Grana (shaved cheese) remains one of my favorites. A winemaker from Castellina in Chianti first introduced me to this dish 20 years ago, and I’ve been making it ever since.

Seasonings for this traditional Tuscan dish typically include only salt, pepper, and olive oil, yet the big flavors of the three main ingredients work magic when combined. Add a glass of the Tuscan Italian wine Chianti Classico and a heavenly experience unfolds.

One of the simplest and best Tuscan meat dishes, Tagliata Rucola e Grana

Tagliolini al Tartufo

I consider truffles (tartufi) one of the top gastronomic treasures in the world, and if you agree, do not leave Tuscany without trying Tagliolini al Tartufo. The thin ribbon pasta perfectly holds the buttery truffles, which can be black or white.

The small town of San Miniato between Pisa and Florence claims the title of White Truffle Capital of Tuscany. Personally, I swoon over both black and white truffles, but the white have more culinary clout, and therefore are more expensive as well.

Tagliolini al Tartufo, a must-eat Tuscan dish

Tordelli Lucchese

A specialty of Lucca, these ravioli-like pasta purses are usually stuffed with beef and/or pork, bread, Swiss chard, pine nuts, and grated cheese. They are then smothered in a hearty meat sauce suffused with a symphony of spices.

If you’re ever in Lucca, trying these is an absolute must! Many restaurants in the city feature them on their menu, so finding them will be relatively easy, and versions vary so deliciously that I tried them in almost every Lucca restaurant I went to—and was never disappointed!

Tordelli Lucchese, the signature dish of Lucca in the region of Tuscany

Torta di Ceci

Torta di Ceci is a crispy chickpea flour flatbread that is a popular street food in Tuscany. Made of only 4 ingredients (chickpea flour, salt, olive oil, and water), this snack sometimes adds a fifth, rosemary, as an extra flavoring agent.

Perhaps most popular in Livorno, this tasty, gluten free, vegan treat is sold by the slice hot out of the pan it was made in. Reminiscent of Nice’s famous Socca, this Italian favorite is a tasty reminder of how popular snack foods made from chickpea flour are among the people of the Mediterranean.

Tortelli di Patate

Tortelli di Patate are another popular stuffed pasta purse of Tuscany. The filling is a creamy combination of pureed potato, cheese, garlic, and tomato. That’s why the name translates as “potato tortelli.”

The traditional dish originated in Mugello, an area north of Florence, and so is sometimes referred to as Tortelli Mugellani.

The pillowy purses can be tossed in a hearty meat sauce consisting of anything from beef to veal to wild game, or it can be served with a simple sauce of brown butter and sage. No matter which version you might see on a traditional Tuscan dinner menu, you can’t go wrong in picking it!

Tortelli di Patate (potato tortelli) with brown butter and sage

Trippa alla Fiorentina

Trippa alla Fiorentina, or Florentine-Style Tripe, has long been a part of the traditional cuisine of Florence. Tripe is the stomach lining of cows, pigs, or sheep, and this Florentine version calls for cow.

Granted, tripe can be a tough sell for those not used to eating lesser-used cuts of meat, but it actually has a mild taste and is great at soaking up whatever flavor of sauce it’s cooked in. In this case, the sauce contains long-simmering onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and chili peppers, and once served is usually sprinkled with olive oil and cheese.

Among all the Italian tripe dishes, if you’re game to give one a try, this might well be the best candidate.

Zuppa di Farro

Literally “Farro Soup,” this Tuscan treasure is really a farro soup with beans. A beloved cold weather warmer-upper of Lucca and the nearby mountainous Garfagnana region, this magical mixture of ancient whole-grain wheat and Borlotti beans is a perfect comfort food.

The nutty, chewy farro and tasty beans take center stage, but are ably backed up by diced onions, celery, carrots, and assorted herbs and spices. One can hardly wait for the traditional tableside drizzle of olive oil to conclude before digging into this hearty delight.

Zuppa di Farro, a traditional Tuscan antidote to cold weather

Eating in Tuscany

Now you know plenty of answers to the question, “What food is Tuscany famous for?” My question is, Which of these 30 best traditional Tuscan foods will you eat in Tuscany?

Almost all 30 Tuscan delicacies can be found in the bigger cities like Florence and Pisa, but mid-sized cities like Lucca and Pistoia will also have extensive offerings.

However, you never know where you’ll find the best food in Tuscany, Italy. Some of the best places to eat will be little mom-and-pop restaurants tucked in the middle of nowhere. But your next great meal may come from just about anywhere.

In addition to local restaurants, I’ve had incredible culinary experiences on wine tours, at Tuscan markets, in homes, at hotel restaurants, and, believe it or not, even at gas stations.

Whatever delightful surprises await you, one thing is for sure: Tuscany for foodies is a wonderland of rich Tuscan flavors, authentic traditional ingredients, and incredible Italian cooking. Order the local dishes, pair them with local wines, and you can’t possibly go wrong!

Buon Appetito!