In Tuscany, will allow you discovering the traditional flavors of Maremma.
Bottarga di Orbetello
When visiting Orbetello don’t miss a delicious dish: the Orbetello bottarga. This specialty, which is made with the eggs of the Mugil Cephalus mullet, is washed, salted and dried to be then vacuum-packed. Usually, it’s served as an appetizer and seasoned with lemon, pepper and extra virgin olive oil, or it can be used as a condiment for pasta.
Pici all’aglione
Another traditional dish, typical in Siena, is pici all’aglione. This particular type of pasta has the shape of spaghetti but it’s thicker to better retain the sauce. Mainly made by hand, the pici are then seasoned with a sauce with aglione, a variety of garlic grown in Valdichiana, whose name wants to recall its size: just think that the head of an aglione can weigh even more than 500gr.
Ribollita, photo by innaturale.com
La Ribollita
One of the traditional dishes of the Maremma, belonging to the peasant culture, is the ribollita. It is a soup made with various vegetables according to seasonal availability. Its name derives from the fact that it had to cook for a long time and so it is “boiled many times“. Following the tradition, it is prepared on Friday evening, putting the leftovers of the past days on a pan and making them cook with stale bread and extra virgin olive oil.
Buglione
A very special condiment that represents the basis of many dishes of the Maremma is the buglione. It’s a very thick and strong tomato sauce with which you can prepare the rabbit and pork stew but also a tasty snail soup called lumacci.
Acquacotta
This is with no doubt the dish that represents the Maremma: Acquacotta. It’s the sister of the well known ribollita, it is a dish belonging to the peasant tradition, which was cooked for lunch and eaten in the fields. It’s a soup made with beets, carrots, tomatoes and poached egg, with the addition of toasted bread: a real delight for the palate.
Cinghiale
The inhabitants of the Maremma, well known hunters, love the wild boar meat with which many dishes are made including the famous stew and the tagliatelle with wild boar ragout: you will be amazed by the softness and exquisiteness of this meat that you can find on the menus for the whole year.
Ciaffagnone, photo by mangiarebuono.it
Ciaffagnone
The Maremma is also known for some traditional desserts including the ciaffagnone. It is a crêpe prepared with water instead of milk and the dough needs to be left to stand for a long time. Then, it is stuffed with pecorino or with icing sugar for those who don’t like strong flavors.
