When I teach a Tuscan cooking class, I always ask my students which recipe they think is most representative of Italian cuisine and the country’s culinary traditions. Pasta is the answer I receive nine times out of ten.
Talking about Italian pasta in general, though, is a bit too simplistic. Dry pasta – such as spaghetti, macaroni, penne or farfalle – is usually found in southern Italian cuisine. In the northern part of Italy, risotto and polenta are definitely more traditional than pasta; this is due mainly to what is farmed in the area, which is rice and corn.
In Tuscany the staple ingredient is stale bread, which is the star of many a soup and salad, from ribollita to panzanella and pappa al pomodoro. But we have a good share of fresh pasta recipes, too, even though Emilia-Romagna is universally acknowledged as the region where fresh pasta, lasagne and tortellini are worshipped and made by the book.
Traveling through Tuscany is a tasty experience and the region’s fresh pasta is a great way to discover the differences between the various areas of this region.