Tuscan soups are a journey back in time, a way to connect with the region’s rural roots and appreciate the artistry of poor cuisine that is now celebrated in restaurants and homes in Tuscany, Italy, and around the world.
The stories of rural poverty and genius, make Tuscan soups a living testament to the ingenuity and resilience of farming communities.
They reflect the importance of seasonality and the enhancement of simple ingredients, often considered less than noble, transforming them into true culinary delights. Moreover, they are dishes that unite families and communities, handed down from generation to generation, enriching the cultural heritage of Tuscany.
Acquacotta conquers with its simplicity
Acquacotta is a rustic soup originating in the Maremma region between Tuscany and Lazio, and it conquers palates with its simplicity. The base is water, stale bread, onion, celery, tomato and olive oil: a few ingredients for a nutritious and flavorful dish.
The dish has its roots in peasant and pastoral culture. It was traditionally prepared by butteri, the cattle guards, who cooked this soup with the ingredients they could find during their long days of work in the fields. Interestingly, the recipe varies slightly from area to area: some add carrots, peppers or eggs, but the base remains the same.
One legend has it that Acqucotta originated as a life-saving dish during a time of starvation. A young cowherd found only a few wild herbs and a piece of stale bread during a harsh winter, so he decided to cook everything in boiling water to warm and fortify himself, handing down the recipe as an example of ingenuity and adaptability.
An ICEA guarantee: the Le Macchie Alte farm has been organic since 97, and its soups are made with produce from the garden or from controlled organic crops.
Ribollita and the taste of the seasons
This Tuscan soup also has peasant origins; it is prepared with black cabbage, cannellini beans, stale bread and seasonal vegetables; and is famous for its deep, rich flavor. The name itself, “ribollita,” tells that the dish is prepared the day before, then reheated and boiled again the next day, thus acquiring even more flavor.
Ribollita is closely linked to the tradition of salvage cooking, where nothing went to waste. Farmers used old bread and leftover vegetables to create a nourishing soup, and in large quantities to be eaten for several days, improving in flavor each time it was reheated.
The story goes that a poor farmer invited a hungry wayfarer to his humble abode, but having no fresh food, he reheated the leftover soup from the day before, adding some black cabbage and slices of stale bread. The wayfarer, moved by the farmer’s hospitality and ingenuity, told this story throughout the village, spreading Ribollita as a dish of generosity and hearth.
Decades of experience and in-depth knowledge of the industry are the basis of excellent Tuscan food products that preserve the essence of tradition.
