Tuscan & Umbrian Dishes and Wines

We'll be going back to Umbria & Tuscany soon, so I've made a list of some food terms and some Tuscan and Umbrian dishes and wines. I've concentrated on dishes that are either regional specialties or specialties of the towns we'll be visiting. We're going to Spoleto, Norcia, and Gubbio in Umbria, and Montalcino, Montepulciano, Cortona, Siena, the whole Chianti Classico area, and San Gimignano. I've tried some of the dishes before, and I've even cooked a few, but there are a number of dishes I'd like to try for the first time. There are others I plan to avoid. Hope I haven't missed any important dishes.


Some Terms




Antipasto - appetizer - literally means “before the meal”


Bacelli - Tuscan word for fava beans


Cacio - Tuscan word for cheese


Casalinga - Home cooking


Castagne - chestnuts, used in flour and otherwise in many Tuscan dishes (see marroni)


Chiocciole - snails


Lumache - snails


Marroni - chestnuts. Rounder, more plump, and more expensive than castagne


Nepitella - a unique wild herb that is described as a cross between oregano & mint or basil & mint. Considered one of the key herbs for every Tuscan kitchen & very important in Umbria


Ricci - sea urchin


Sagra - Italian word for a food-related festival. Other names for a festival are: festa, festa popolare, and fiera. A festa or a fiera can be food oriented. I am not sure of the different connotations of these terms A festa religiosa is a religious festival.


Tramezzino - a type of sandwich. The difference between tramezzini and panini is the bread. Tramezzini use soft, slice bread (that looks like Wonderbread slices). The tramezzini are triangular in shape.


Tartufi - Truffles. Truffles are “fungal fruiting bodies.” They’re like mushrooms, but grow underground. White truffles are tartufi bianchi and black truffles are tartufi neri. They are rare, expensive, and tasty. In the past, pigs were used to hunt truffles. Now, dogs are primarily used.


Umbria

1. Umbrian Dishes


Attorta – apple-filled pastry dessert (Gubbio)


Beccaccia alla norcina – woodcock stuffed with gizzards, with sausage, butter, marjoram, thyme, and in season with white truffles (Norcia)


Brustengolo - a dessert made with corn flour(Gubbio)- Budelline – intestines


Castagnole – dessert made with eggs, sugar, yeast, flour, lard, honey, and anise liqueur in shape of chestnuts and fried (Gubbio)


Ceci e farro, minestra de – Chickpea & farro soup


Ceci e quadrucci - chick peas and quadrucci pasta soup


Ceriole/ciriole – type of rustic pasta season with a soffrito of garlic & oil


Ciauscolo - a spreadable salame, originally from the Le Marche region


Crescia – Gubbio specialty. Like focaccia bread. Can be eaten plain or stuffed with sausage, prosciutto, pecorino. Must have.


Cresciole di ciccioli – Rounded cakes that can be sweet or salted (Gubbio)


Farro - traditional grain. Used in soups salads and other dishes. Fed the Roman legions. Translated as “spelt,” but is supposedly not the same thing.


Farro al prosciutto – minestra w. soffritto, prosciutto bone & fat, olive oil, grated cheese


Fettunta (A Tuscan word for bruschetta)


Frascarelli – rich pasta soup once reserved for nursing women


Lenticchie di Castelluccio - famous lentils from the town of Castelluccio. Meaty texture.


Mazzafegati - sausages made with pork liver & other ingredients


Miele di Castagno - Chestnut honey (Spoleto)


Minestra di Cavolo Nero (Soup of Tuscan Black Cabbage)


Mungana – type of milk-fed veal


Mostaccioli – cookies made during vendemmia


Pagliata – veal intestine


Passata di fave di finocchietto selvatico – puree of beans of wild fennel


Porchetta – fantastic pork sandwhich (Norcia)


Prosciutto (Norcia)


Salumi


Strangozzi al tartufo – strangozzi pasta with truffles


Strascinati – pasta with sauted sausage mixed with eggs mix with parmesan cheese


Tortino di patate con lenticchie


Trecciole – intestines cooked on embers


Umbrici – rough, spaghetti-like pasta


Zuppa di Farro - soup with farro grain


Zuppa di Verdura (vegetable soup, includes stale bread)


Wines


In addition to Umbrian reds I’ve had, I'd like to try


Grecchetto white wine (Spoleto)


Tuscany


1. Tuscan


Acquacotta Maremmana (“Cooked Water” soup) (Maremma)


Agnello - lamb


Anatra in porchetta (also called Nana in Porchetta) - roast duck


Arista (“alla Fiorentina” or “alla Toscana”) pork roast with garlic, rosemary, olive oil, sometimes sage - name from Greek word meaning “the best”


Baccalà alla Fiorentina (Florentine-style salt cod), many variations


Bastardo - a type of salame originally from Montalcino (also called Mezzone). Principally pork with a bit of beef


Biancomangiare - a mousse/custard with ground almonds. An older version included chicken.


Biroldo - blood sausage


Bistecca alla Fiorentina (Forentine steak, minimum size of 2 lbs.) I love it!


* Bread (pane) - Tuscan bread is different from other Italian bread because it is made without salt. I have read two reasons for this:


1. During the 12th Century rivalry between Florence and the powerful maritime republic of Pisa, Pisa blocked the delivery of salt into the interior of Tuscany.
2. Salt was heavily taxed in Tuscany.


Buglione di Agnello - Lamb Casserole (Maremma)


Buristo - blood sausage


Bruschetta (see fettunta)


Budino di Riso - a rice pudding pastry


Cacciucco all’Uso della Costa Maremmana - Maremma Coast Seafood Soup (Maremma)


Caciotta - a Tuscan cheese


Cantucci (cookies, biscuits) eaten with Vin Santo


Capocollo - pork shoulder cold cut


Capponi - capons


Castagnaccio - chestnut cake


Castagne Ubbriache - literally “Drunken Chestnuts” - chestnuts in red wine


Cavalluccio - rustic biscotti


Ceci - chick peas - in lots of dishes


Cenci - fried sweet pastries usually made at Carnival time in Jan & Feb


Cervello - brain


Chianina beef from the Val di Chiana (which includes Siena, Montalcino, Montepulciano & Cortona) (http://www.val-di-chiana.com/)


Cinghiale - wild boar - used in many Tuscan dishes. Try a cinghiale ragù (sauce) over pappardelle or tagliatelle or pici pasta


Cinta Senese Pork (Siena area) - Cinta Senese pigs are a distinct breed with a white band around the fore part of the body.


Cipollata - duck sausage


Coniglio - rabbit


Crespelle alla Fiorentina - Florentine style crespelle. Crespelle are Italian crepes.


Crostini - toasted bread with various toppings - an antipasto. Similar to bruschetta & fettunta but smaller sized bread - baguette size. One of the most popular is crostini di fegato - crostini with chicken liver.


Crostoni - similar to but larger than crostini


Dolceforte - a type of sauce whose name means “sweet and strong.” It is used with meats - typically, wild boar (cinghiale) and hare (lepre). It has ingredients such as chocolate, candied fruit, sugar, raisins, onions, carrots, celery, etc.


Fagiano - pheasant


Fagioli al Fiasco - A simple cannellini bean dish. Fiasco means, “flask.”


Fagioli all’Uccelletto - cannellini bean stew with or without sausages


Faraona - guinea fowl


Farro - traditional grain. Used in soups salads and other dishes. Fed the Roman legions.


Fegatelli - pork liver


Fegato - liver


Fettunta - a Tuscan word for Bruschetta. Originally - 2 day old bread toasted and coated with olive oil & garlic. Larger than crostini. Now made with various toppings.


Ficattola - a sweet bread made with figs and often served with prosciutto


Finocchiona (Fennel-flavored salami)


Fiori di Zucca Fritti - fried zucchini flowers


Fiori di Zucchini Ripieni di Salsiccia - Fried zucchini flowers stuffed w. sausage (Siena)


Ginestrata - a soup with egg yolk, chicken broth, marsala, nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar.


Guanciale, flavorful pig’s cheek - used as a flavoring in dishes rather than eaten alone


Lampredotto - type of tripe


Maremmana beef from the Maremma (Maremma)


Marroni - type of chestnuts


Marzolino cheese (probably only available in March, as name implies)


Melatelli - apples fried in batter


Migliaccio - various dishes, including a cake dessert, made with fresh pig’s blood


Milza - spleen


Minestra di Cavolo Nero - Black cabbage soup


Nana in porchetta - roast duck


Pan Co Santi - Autumn walnut, raisin, pepper bread


Panforte (fruit and nut cake) (Siena), (Montalcino)


Pan pepato - version with spicy crust


Margherita - fruitier version with powdered sugar


Panunto - another Tuscan word for fettunta


Panzanella (Salad including stale bread)


Pappa al Pomodoro (Tomato soup)


Pappardelle sulla lepre - papardelle pasta on hare


Pappardelle al Cinghiali (can be with porcini) - pappardelle pasta with wild boar


Pasta e ceci alla Toscana - pasta & chick pea soup


Pasta e fagioli soup - Tuscan version w. cannellini beans and ditali or ditaloni pasta


Pecorino cheese - many, many types


Piccione - pigeon


Pici pasta dishes (Siena & south)


Pieducci - pig’s feet


Pinci (same as pici pasta)


Plum preserves made from plum (susina) called Coscia di Monaca (Nun’s Thigh)


Porcini mushrooms (porcini means “little pigs.”) Season is Sep - Oct


Prosciutto. A unique type of prosciutto, saltier, with very low production. For details, see http://www.florencevillas.com/newsletter/nl_21.htm#dis


Raveggiolo - a delicate, soft white Tuscan cheese


Ribollita (Reboiled soup)


Ricciarelli - almond & macaroon cookies (Siena)


Rigaglie - giblets


Risotto al Chianti - risotto with beef or sausages and chianti wine (many variations)


Salsiccie (sausages)


Salumi - various cold cuts


Salviata - sage pie, sage omelet


Sanguinaccio - blood sausage


Sbricciolona - a type of finocchiona (fennel salami)


Schiacciata - Tuscan flat bread. Various types, including sweet and with grapes.


Scottiglia - meat stew with almost any kind of meat. Originally from the Maremma.


Stiracchio - boiled beef, tomatoes, garlic, red onions, etc.


Tartufo bianco - white truffles (Montepulciano, Crete Senesi)


Tartufo nero - dark truffles


Tiramisu (Siena)


Tordo - thrush. Montalcino has a thrush festical (Sagra del Tordo) last weekend of Oct.


Torrone - nougat sweet made with honey, almonds, sugar, egg whites (Siena)


Torta di Riso - Rice tart, a dessert


Tortelli Maremmani e Sugo - Maremma Tortelli & Sauce (Maremma)


Tortino di Carciofi - Artichoke flan/omelet/souffle


Trippa alla Fiorentina (Florentine Tripe)


Umido - stew. Usually “in umido” Various types.


Zafferano (saffron) (San Gimignano)


* Zucotto - a Tuscan dessert cake with whipped cream, chocolate, and nuts. Its
name supposedly derives from the word for a cardinal's skullcap.




Zuppa del Duca (same as Zuppa Inglese). Created in Siena. It's like English trifle.


Zuppa di Fagioli alla Senese - Sienese bean soup (Siena)


Zuppa Frantoiana - Olive mill soup - typically associated with the olive harvest in late autumn


Zuppa di Lentichie col Fagiano - Lentil soup with pheasant


Zuppa di Rane - Frog Soup


Zuppa di Verdura - Vegetable soup


Zuppa Inglese (see Zuppa del Duca) - dessert


Tuscan Wines


In addition to Brunello, Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, there are a couple of Tuscan wines I'd lie to try or have again.


Galestro - white made primarily from Trebbiano & Malvasia (Chianti)


Vernaccia di San Gimignano (San Gimignano)