The main characteristic of Italian cooking is its healthy balance, the excellent basic ingredients being simply cooked and retaining their original goodness and freshness. Simple and yet with such a variety of flavors and rich inventiveness in preparation, that even the most demanding gourmet is delighted.

Italian breakfast is quite different from American or English. Colazione is usually light: cappuccino (coffee and milk) and a brioche (sweet pastry), or simply espresso (black-short-strong coffee) .
Pranzo (lunch) is the big meal except in the industrialized cities. It consists of antipasto (starter) a primo piatto (pasta, rice or soup), a secondo piatto (meat or fish) with contorno (vegetable or salad), then frutta ( fresh fruit). Finish with espresso and maybe a grappa or amaro (strong digestive liqueur).
Cena (dinner) is similar to lunch. Nowadays there is a tendency of having a light lunch, then dinner becomes the major meal.
Gelato (ice-cream) has hundreds of different flavours and can be enjoyed at anytime of the day as well as the granita (crushed ice with flavoured syrup).
Where to eat ?
There are thousands of ristoranti (restaurants): the most formal type of place to eat when one is not in a hurry, sometimes a little fancy and pricy and family-run; trattoria and osteria: less formal than a ristorante, where local specialties are served; panineria: a sandwich bar, where a quick meal can be had at any time of the day; pizzeria: is not only for pizza lovers !

The Foods of Tuscany
Tuscany is the heartland of Italy with its foods reflecting the very best of Italy?s home cooking, it?s roots originating from cucina povera, or peasant cookery. The Tuscans are well known for their superior yet simple dishes, which arise from using the freshest available products. They believe in enhancing the purity and natural flavor of ingredients, rather than trying to camouflage with excess sauces and seasonings.

Tuscany is a large region, being made up of seacoasts, mountains, plains, villages and large cities, which all heavily influence its cuisine. A vast selection of seafood can be found along the coast, giving way to the invention of a famous seafood soup called Cacciucco whose ingredients may vary from day to day depending on the daily catch.

Almost everywhere in Tuscany, meat is grilled over open fires, but one of the mot well known grilled dishes must be Bistecca Fiorentina. This is a perfectly cooked T-bone steak, which is often served with a splash of olive oil, or thinly sliced and topped with peppery arugula lettuce as in my recipe for Tagliata con Rucola recipe. Wild game such as pheasant, rabbit, partridge and wild boar are plentiful across the Tuscan hills and have been hunted to supplement the meals of farmers for centuries.

Vegetables grow freely across the region, and the people have perfected methods necessary to bring forth their full flavor. Many vegetables are eaten raw, steamed and drizzled with olive oil and a little garlic, or cooked in a method called saltare. This method simply consists of gently steaming the vegetables, draining them, and then sautéing them briefly in olive oil, chile pepper and garlic. Artichokes, asparagus, spinach, fennel, broad beans and cannellini beans grow freely in kitchen gardens everywhere. Tuscans are named the "bean-eaters" of Italy, as they are renowned for their love of beans. One particular favorite are early fava beans eaten raw or lightly steamed as in my Fave con Pecorino recipe. The other favorite are dried white cannellini or toscanelli beans. The traditional method of cooking toscanelli is in a flask with olive oil and garlic and cooked over a dying fire overnight until they reach a creamy consistency.

Herbs grow wild across the Tuscan hills and are used constantly in various recipes, rosemary and sage being particular favorites. Driving across Tuscany, you can?t help but be amazed at the vast number of olive trees, growing everywhere from the flat, dry plains to up the sides of rocky hills. Good Tuscan olive oil is not considered something to be used for cooking, but is considered a condiment, and drizzled over almost everything from meats, vegetables and bread.

One can't discuss the foods of this region without mentioning its pecorino cheese, or sheep?s milk cheese, ranging from a version as fresh as ricotta, or a piquant aged version. Tuscan bread, which is salt less, is a perfect accompaniment to the tangy cheese. I have also had pecorino toscano served after dinner with a crust of good bread and a dollop of honey from the hills. Bread is eaten with almost everything in Tuscany, and most commonly is made without salt. This is because historically it was found bread retained its freshness longer when salt was not added, and it has been made that way ever since.

In Lucca: Family restaurant
Trattoria da Leo