Food

The kitchen is the most important place in the house, often fitted with an at times gigantic fireplace. Here you meet after work to entertain yourself and others, here parties are held, you eat, drink and chat. Gastronomic tradition in the Chianti reflects this desire of convivality, to be together.
The basic ingredients of traditional Chianti dishes are without a doubt wine, oil and pork. The slaughter and butchering of the pig was for the peasant a sort of ritual, which was strictly connected with the cold winter months. It was a feast which united the whole family. Nothing was (and is) thrown away of the pig. The blood is used for ”burristo” (a blood pudding prepared with ”grasselli”, small bits of fat, and boiled rind) and ”migliacci” (a dessert made with pig’s blood, black panforte and sweet biscuits). Head, tongue and giblets are used for the ”soprassata” (brawn), the lard is kept to use in dishes or to slice thinly onto toast, and then of course there are all the famous cold cuts, such as the salami, the ”capocollo” or ”pilsa” (cured shoulder meat), the ”finocchiona” (fennel salami), the ”prosciutto” (cured ham) and the ”carnesecca” or ”pancetta” (dried bacon). Particular attention is paid to sausages: whether fresh, used to enrich meat sauces, grilled or cooked in dishes, enhancing them with their unique flavour and taste.
In recent time a special breed of pig, the ”Cinta Senese”, has been rediscovered and saved from extinction, thanks to the dedicated work of some breeders and butchers.
This pig, recognizable by its dark coat and the white band sourrounding its neck and shoulder (the belt = ”cinta”), lives in the open, feeding itself on acorns and chestnuts. The resulting cured meats and salamis are somewhat fattier, but with a unique and unmistakable flavour.
The use of salt in the Chianti deserves a special mention: it was used sparingly, so as not to cover the flavours of the food and to permit the bread to go stale, rather than mould (to enable its further use in soups etc.). However, though the ingredients are simple, the Chianti cuisine is savoury and abounds with alle the characteristic perfumes of the region: ”nepitella” (cat mint), ”mentuccia” (field mint), ”dragoncello” (tarragon), and of course the classics: thyme, basil, rosemary, garlic and pepper.
But the Chianti produces other things apart from pigs. The famous ”bistecca fiorentina” (florentine t-bonesteak) comes from a local breed of beef cattle: the white Chianina. Not to be forgotten are of course chicken, duck and rabbit, cooked in the traditional manner.
Hunting is one of the passions of Chianti folk, and consequently you can find dishes of wild boar, thrush, woodcock, quail and pidgeon when in season.
As for antipasti, not to be missed are ”bruschette al pomodoro” (baked tomato/garlic toast), ”pane unto” (warm toast with new oil) and ”crostini neri” (toast spread with a paté of calf’s spleen, chicken liver, carrots, onions etc.).
Soups are greatly appreciated. The best-known are: bean soup (”zuppa di fagioli”), whose secret is good olive oil, the ”ribollita”, which literally means ”boiled again”, in which besides beans are added various vegetables and bread. To signal the beginning of summer, a fresh and tasty (cold) ”panzanella” is usually on the menu, made with bread, tomatoes, onions, vinegar, salt and pepper, not to mention of course good olive oil.
The tradition in the matter of desserts is even more austere, a fact which depended on the restricted economic means of the peasants. However, we can mention ”sciacciata con l’uva” (a flat, sweet bread with grapes) and ”pane con i Santi” (the raisins being the ”saints”), baked for All Saints, and the ”castagnaccio” (a flat, not too sweet chestnutbread with raisins).
Olive groves, along with vines, are the most characteristic features of the hills of the Chianti. Extra virgin olive oil together with wine are the products par excellence of these parts, universally recognized for their unquestionably excellent quality. The production of olive oil in the Chianti dates back to ancient times, but only in recent years has its quality been deservedly appreciated.
Four different types of olives are grown in the Chianti, ”frantoio”, ”correggiolo”, ”moraiolo” and ”lecchino”, and the balance between these four creates the typical Chianti olive oil with its intense, nutty flavour and slightly sharp aftertaste, which leaves a clean sensation on the tongue.
In the year 2000 the rules for the production of the protected brand mark ”Olio extra vergine di oliva Chianti Classico a Denominazione di Origine Protetta (DOP)” were laid down, which guarantees the quality of the oil produced here, along with the methods and geographic areas of production.

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Agritourism Chianti - Tuscany Experience

Wine

The Chianti Classico wine is undoubtedly the product which has contributed most to making the name of this little corner of Italy a byword in the rest of the world. Everything in the Chianti, the countryside, everyday life and work, is intimately interconnected with the history and the production of its wine.
In the late 19th century, the famous ”Iron Baron”, Bettino Ricasoli, was responsible for establishing an exact recipe for the Chianti wine, fixing the exact proportions of the various grapes: sangiovese, cannaiolo, malvasia and trebbiano.
In 1932 the area of production of the Chianti Classico was defined by law. It has an extension of 70,000 hectares and is situated between Florence and Siena. The municipalities which are entirely within its borders are: Castellina in Chianti, Radda in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti and Greve in Chianti. Those whose territory lies only partly within this production area are: Castelnuovo Berardenga, San Casciano Val di Pesa, Barberino Val d’Elsa, Tavernelle Val di Pesa and Poggibonsi. The DOCG guarantee (Denominazione di Origine Protetta e Garantita) was adopted starting from the harvest of 1984.
The principal grape is San Giovese (a red-berried grape), which according to the regulations must be present in quantities of between 80 and 100%. To that may be added other red-berried grapes, such as the autoctonous cannaiolo and colorino grapes, or international varieties, such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot, but only up to a maximum of 20%. White grapes cannot be used starting from the harvest of 2006 (this excludes the malvasia and trebbiano grapes).
After having matured for a minimum of 11 months the elegantly structured Chianti Classico emerges, rubycoloured and darkening with time, with an intense and refined perfume of violets or other mature fruit (e.g. blackberry) and a dry, full-bodied, slightly tannic aftertaste. The ”riserva” requires a minimum maturing period of 24 months, of which 3 must be in the bottle.
The Vin Santo is the traditional sweet wine of the Chianti. Peasants brought it out on special occasions to welcome a guest, and when it appears on the table, it signifies the end of the meal.
The finest and most intact bunches of malvasia grapes from the Chianti and of Tuscan Trebbiano grapes are harvested and placed in well-aired storage rooms called ”appassitoi”. Some producers spread out the grapes onto special straw mats, while others hang the bunches of grapes from strings underneath the terracotta roofs. In these drying rooms the grapes are left to dry out until November/December, and even in some cases until February. In the course of this drying period the water evaporates naturally, leaving a sugar content which can reach 40-50%.
Thus 3 kgs of fresh grapes turn into only 1 kg of dried grapes. And only at the end of this drying period are the stalks removed and the grapes gently pressed. The nectar which emerges is left to age in small barrels called ”caratelli” for a minimum of 3 years.

FOR YOUR STAY IN CHIANTI:
Agritourism Chianti - Tuscany Experience