The food from this part of the country is a very simple, peasant cooking that uses a lot of extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, beans, hams and salami. Fresh fish is available along the coast.

Some typical dishes:

• Cured meats and hams â?? A platter of sliced Parma Ham, prosciutto cotto (cooked ham), mortadella, wild boar salami, which is often presented as hors d'oeuvres.
• Crostini â?? Toasted bite-sized pieces of bread topped with olive, anchovy, tomato, liver or mushroom paste.
• Tortellini â?? Egg pasta stuffed with meat or cheese, served either in a broth or topped with a rich tomato sauce.
• Rigatoni al ragu â?? Typical dish from Bologna, the pasta is covered with a rich tomato sauce cooked with minced beef.
• Cannelloni â?? Large stuffed pasta tubes filled with cheese and spinach or minced beef, coated with tomato and cheese sauce.
• Bistecca alla Fiorentina â?? Very large tender steak grilled over open fire, generally seasoned only with a little salt and olive oil.
• Cinghiale â?? Wild boar, generally grilled, typical of the Maremma area in Tuscany.
• Panforte â?? Rich nut cake spiced with cinnamon and cloves.
• Ricciarelli â?? These biscuits are made from almond flour, orange peel and honey.
• Cantucci â?? Sweet nut biscuits generally served at the end of a meal with Vin Santo, a dessert wine.

Wines:  Everywhere you look in central Italy you can find vineyards. The best come from the hills of South-eastern Tuscany, like the red Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano or the Brunello di Montalcino wines. Lovely white wines that generally accompany a traditional dinner are the Tuscan Vernaccia di Gimignano, a fresh, dry Orvieto Classico from Umbria, or a crisp particular Verdicchio from the Marche region.

Ready to taste the cuisine of Central Italy?  Start planning an Italy tour vacation.

Other blog posts that may interest you:  The 10 Italian Culinary Commandments