The soups of Tuscany

The translation of pappa al pomodoro, ‘mush of tomatoes’, gives you a good idea of what to expect when you order this. Tuscany is awash with incredible tomatoes during the summer, and Tuscans make the most of the glut with all sorts of salads, sauces and this soup, which brings together fresh tomatoes, stale bread, garlic, basil and olive oil to create a luscious, thick dish that's far more than the sum of its parts. It might sound pretty basic, but it offers an iconic taste of everything we love about Italian cuisine. The dish can be eaten hot, room temperature or chilled; make it thick enough and it can be used as a fantastic pasta filling too.

Just as Italy’s east coast has brodetto, the western coastline of Tuscany has cacciucco – a hearty fish stew that contains anything fishermen have caught that day. It's made up of the fruits of the Tyrrhenian Sea: gurnard, scorpionfish, monkfish and snapper could be paired with langoustines, mussels, clams and squid. Whilst most similar fish stews around Europe have a fairly rigid foundation, cacciucco is incredibly flexible – the base can contain almost any combination of vegetables (though onion and tomato are usually present), the broth can contain red or white wine, fish stock or vermouth, and spicing varies from traditional European herbs all the way to powerful aniseed and dried chilli. Although traditionally associated with the coastal city of Livorno, cacciucco is common all along the coast, and the fun of it is that you never really know what you’re going to get. This recipe is just one iteration of the dish – feel free to swap out certain fish and shellfish for whatever you fancy – but the appeal of it is that there's lots of different varieties of seafood in there (according to some traditional chefs, there should be at least five).

Acquacotta is the ultimate peasant food among peasant foods, by all accounts. It came about, allegedly, as a way to make stale bread edible – people who would spend lots of time away from home (shepherds, woodcutters and the like) would often take bread with them, marinate the stale pieces in acquacotta (which translates roughly as ‘cooked water’). The basis of the soup in Tuscany is stale bread, water, onion, tomato and olive oil, but beyond that, there are no rules – you can throw in practically anything you like! While it would certainly elevate the dish from humble to luxurious in days gone by, you'll often see it served with melted cheese on the bread and an egg on top, which is gently poached in the simmering broth.

Ribollita isn’t a million miles away from acquacotta, but as a rule it contains a few more luxurious ingredients than its cousin, including not just stale bread, but also brassicas such as Italian kale (lacinato) and cavolo nero. Beyond that there's cabbage, carrot, potato, celery and cannellini beans, which are mashed to add body to the soup. The word ribollita means ‘reboiled’ in English, which may link back to the practice of people reboiling leftover minestrone or vegetable soup with fresh vegetables. It may also simply reflect the traditional way this soup is cooked: first the greens are cooked in the soup, then left overnight, and the soup is ‘reboiled’ the next day with stale bread.

The Roman Empire was built on the back of ancient grains like spelt, emmer and einkorn. In Italy these wheat grains are known as farro – beloved for their distinct nutty flavour and grown in huge quantities in the Garfagnana region of Tuscany. Farro remains a staple in Tuscan cooking, the most common dish of all being minestra di farro – a simple soup made with a base of onion, celery and carrot, then enriched with pancetta, olive oil, waxy potatoes and of course, the ever-present fagioli.