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GASTRONOMY AND TYPICAL PRODUCTS
Even the gastronomy of Lunigiana has a long history, when
the inns gave shelter and food to the pilgrims, travellers and soldiers
who passed on their way to other parts in the centre of Italy. The
identity of Lunigiana is also preserved in the dishes and the local
cuisine offers a vast range of choices, thanks to the fusion of
the Tuscan, Ligurian and Emilian cuisines. Eating well and offering
hospitality go hand in hand in Lunigiana. Therefore sitting down
at a table in a restaurant or in an inn does not only mean to get
fed, but is also the best way to get in contact with the local traditions
and the inhabitants.
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everywhere in Tuscany, the cuisine is based on poor ingredients ,
as the mothers only had few products available. Today the cuisine
in Lunigiana is richer, though preserving the main characteristics.
Do not miss the "testaroli", a fine pasta which you boil
in hot water for only one minute and is served with tomato sauce or
a delicate pesto. The "panigacci", a symbol of the local
cuisine, is a home-made foccaccia bread with local cold cuts such
as "culatello", "spalla cotta", salami and sausages.
The "spalla cotta" of Lunigiana is taken from the front
part of the pig and has a particular taste.
It is preserved with the bone and the fat, and can be eaten
after 12 months as it is ore cooked as it was usually served in the
past when there was a special holiday or event. Other famous dishes
are the vegetable pies, like the one with "fine herbs" which
has to be tasted at least once, as well as the tortelli, an excellent
first course which is home-made pasta filled with vegetables, eggs
and cheese. The "lasagne bastarde" of Lunigiana got the
name from the use of chestnut flour together with the wheat flour.
The dish is served with extra virgin olive oil and parmesan cheese
or with a delicate leek sauce.
Another speciality is the lamb-steak from Zeri, which taste
is due to the race of the zarzesca sheep which breeds freely in Lunigiana.
The meat is delicate and flagrant. Typical for Lunigiana is also the
Biglioli bean which has been grown on the terraces of the hills for
centuries. The thin peel and the creamy pulp of the bean are best
appreciated with some local extra virgin olive oil. The pore fungus
of Lunigina also have a delicious and intense taste. The are eaten
fresh in the summer and dry in the winter according to the traditional
and artisan procedure. The honey of Lunigiana is famous, and was the
first honey to get the brand D.O.P. The secret of its aromatic flavour
is the uncontaminated landscape where the bees live.
There are several types of honey such as milfoil, acacia and
chestnut. The clean air and land contribute to the taste of the apples
which are biologically grown. The pulp is white, with an acid flavour
and intense aroma. The bread of Lunigiana is perfect for the local
dishes. The flour has a high quality, the yeast is natural and the
pure water return a fragrant bread baked in wooden oven where only
chestnut-wood is used. The cheeses of Lunigiana, especially the pecorino
and the caciotta, can be tasted and purchase directly from the shepherds
who breed the sheep in their natural state.
A meal in Lunigiana has to be accompanied by lots of local wine, which
is famous since the Romans and made with autochthonal grapes.
In Val di Magra, the producers are gathered in the Consorzio
Produttori di Vino di Lunigiana, while the tourist will certainly
enjoy the Strada del Vino dei Colli di Candia e di Lunigiana, which
is an itinerary which goes along castles, churches and small hill
villages. You can taste the famous D.O.C. "Candia dei Colli Apuani"
and D.O.C. Colli di Luni" and the great variety of I.G.T wines
from Val di Magra. The vast selection of wines will satisfy any taste,
with red, white, rosé wines, both dry and sweet.
A lunch in Lunigiana has to end with the unique Elisir di China, still
produced according to the traditional method of the Farmacia Clemente
in Fivizzano. The full and aromatic taste of the China of Fivizzano
was invented in 1884 by Giuseppe Clementi and the secret mixture has
since then become famous even outside of Lunigiana. |
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