Ciao! It's been awhile... but I've recently arrived from a marvelous trip to Florence, Italy which was such an enriching experience to say the least.
My good friend Nicole who's been living in Florence for the past decade, said that she had to put a ring on her finger for most of her closest friends to finally visit her! Unforgivable I know, but to make up for it I decided to remain two weeks in Florence and the Tuscan area, to maximize time with her.
It was my first time in Italy and like most people I had some pre-conceived notions of what kind of food I was to expect. Naturally, apart from the itinerary that I had to prepare for the group, a restaurant list was drawn up way before departure day as well!
On the first day, after a long journey to get there and we didn't know any better, my friends and I asked for pizza! Turns out to be one of the less than a handful of times we were to have pizza in Italy!
Italy, being quite regional in culture and cuisine takes their specialties quite seriously. As it turns out, Florence isn't particularly big on pizza but Naples is. Which was why we ate a hole in the wall, Neopolitan joint. Having said that, this was still pretty awesome thin-crust pizza! I suspect the owners are from Naples, that's why!
Another thing I expected and was satisfied with however, was the abundance of gelato! If Makati has a Starbucks on every corner, Florence has gelato! I had a list of at least five brands to try, all of which were quite good, though I think I ate in Grom the most! This small cup of salted caramel and espresso costs 2.5 euros if I remember right.
For aperitivo, Italy's version of 7-9 pm cocktail hour, which is meant to open up the palate and not exactly to get drunk, I think I got to try most of what I wanted, pre-exposure to Florence that is! So there were the prosciuttos and the salamis, and the wonderful addition of what they call Lard! Looking at it and tasting it, I figured it's pure pig-fat-melt-in-your-mouth heaven, meaning literally lard you can render and cook with!
I also wanted tomato bruschetta and got hit with this instead! The mother of all tomato bruschettas with the sweetest ripe tomatoes and fresh basil drizzled with fragrant local olive oil, sprinkled lightly with salt and pepper, over warm crusty bread. With the first bite I realized two things, the first is that the main star here is the tomato period (no need for bells and whistles) and second, that the tomato IS a fruit! I used to find that hard to believe, but friends, meet our tomato's aka kamatis's cousin in Italy and you'll have to agree!
Since I've mentioned olive oil, let me just say something about it. I think I've had a fair exposure to olive oil having lived in the States and having tried what they carry in their gourmet stores whether Italian or Spanish, and I've tried fresh olive oil and brought home 2L of it from Israel even, but I don't think anything's prepared me for the olive oil I tried while in Florence!
I'm not sure if having it fresher and closer to the source has any impact on the taste and quality of the product but the olive oil there was simply out of this world good! First of all, the aroma alone hits you strong, just like wine, it has its own bouquet that smells strongly of olives, what else?
Olive oil I realize quite simply, ought to taste as if one were biting into a ripe olive, sucking its seed even. Now that kind of olive oil can turn a simple green salad or roasted vegetables into something spectacular and I would daresay even resurrect the stalest bread! Add some salt and pepper, not even balsamic vinegar, and man CAN live on bread alone!
Okay, so before coming to Florence I had also expected to drink copious amounts of wine and coffee. What I didn't realize however was that this meant almost replacing most of my daily intake of water!
Every single meal was eaten with wine, whether at home, or at a small food stall at the market or at a fine restaurant where one starts with Prosecco, followed by a light white or red, and then a heavier white or red, and then a Vin Santo or dessert wine at the end. Try the Chianti which are produced in the area! Although I realize my photo shows a white Sicilian wine that was superb!
You must understand, that sodas like Coke won't be the first on the beverage list here, in fact I had zero soda during my whole stay, save for their water which they preferred frizzante.
As for the coffee, it would save you the stink eye to know that they only take their coffee with milk at breakfast. So a cappuccino after about 10 am isn't considered cool, as they say it's best to have milk on an empty stomach.
I guess it goes without saying that Italians are religiously strict about their espressos. They take shots of it several times a day, typically black with no sugar, and would even have a shot after dinner, to help in digestion. Just so you know, a shot of espresso or a cup of coffee standing by the bar is cheaper than seated at the table. They have funny rules like that so best to get the memo.
Oh, another memo with regards to pizza if I may... they prefer eating their pizza with beer and not wine! Or something fizzy like a soda, to aid in digestion as well, so they say. When in Florence right?
Last we come to the two particularly Tuscan and Florentine items on the menu that I didn't expect but will never forget... Crostini Toscani di Fegatini and Bistecca alla Fiorentina. Hands down everyone in our group loved these so much that we had chicken liver and steak coming out of our ears!
Like I said earlier, each region in Italy has their specialties, in Florence it's the 2 inch, grilled and rare, Florentine steak that they serve with potatoes and Fagioli or cannelini beans with olive oil and supposedly in the Tuscan area, the crostini with chicken liver pate. Both sound humdrum enough but believe me if their tomato bruschetta can taste THAT good, you can expect other-wordly quality in their typical steak and humble pate!
Anyway, I love these two so much that they each deserve their own post! I've even cracked the code for the Fegatini so I'll be sharing the recipe of that one soon!
Oh! One last memo though if I don't get to catch you, no matter how delicious you think your steak is, don't even think about asking for a doggie bag! They frown upon this too. The best solution to a steak night in Florence, is to come with your appetite and polish it off!
