Tasting Tuscany’s Traditional Vegan Food! Italian Trattoria Cooking + The King of Chickpea Pancakes

Did you know that a lot of Italian food just happens to be vegan?

VEGAN CULTURES EP. 4 | TUSCANY, ITALY
For my second episode in Tuscany, I’m diving deeper into the region’s culinary traditions. Street food chickpea pancakes, classics like Ribollita and unseen Tuscan trattoria dishes like Fagioli all’Uccelletto – this episode is packed with traditional Italian food that is entirely plant-based. Thanks for supporting this show @SlowFoodInt & Meatless Monday.

Tuscany Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMPffBUl5E0

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:35 Ribollita
03:30 Contorni
04:13 Passata
06:06 Pomodori
08:02 Torta di Ceci
11:45 Pasta (Pici)
13:42 Harvesting Wheat
14:15 Pici all’Aglione
15:50 Cucina Toscana
16:23 Italian Market
17:17 Crostini
17:55 Farinata di Cavolo Nero
18:52 Fagioli all’Uccelletto
19:49 End

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Tuscany Food Tour:

My first stop is at Trattoria Cammillo (https://maps.app.goo.gl/7DgXjdn9XtGiCxdM7), the epitome of a Tuscan Trattoria, Here, I get to learn all about Ribollita, Tuscany’s comforting bread, bean and vegetable stew that is served so thick, you eat it with a fork. I’m also trying some traditional Contorni (side dishes), like Fritto di fiori di zucca (fried courgette flowers), Ceci con l’olio nuovo (chickpeas in new season olive oil), sautéed greens with garlic and chilli and a combination of the chickpeas and greens. For dessert, there’s Frutta Fresca (fresh fruit) and, of course, a good strong caffè (espresso).

Next, I am visiting the Slow Food organisation Agricola Calafata to see how Italy’s iconic Passata is made from scratch. They told me about the biodynamic tomato producer Agricola Biologica Nico (https://maps.app.goo.gl/U1zQMqyPz5ovvsy79), where I learned how tomatoes are actually grown – both out on the fields as well as in a green house using cover crops instead of chemicals and pesticides.

Then it was time for an iconic Tuscany street food at Da Gagarin (https://maps.app.goo.gl/aZfLfkCFjki6upZM9). Giuliano, who runs the shop, is known as the king of Torta di Ceci, a wood-fired, crispy chickpea pancake that is served inbetween focaccia for a sandwich called Cinque e Cinque. Also make sure to try the version “con melanzane” (with aubergines).

Many believe that pasta is always made with egg, but there are many pasta shapes, especially when manufactured, that are just a mix of semolina flour and water. At Mulino val d’Orcia (https://maps.app.goo.gl/83oKtPSXRYkSq5s96), I followed the entire process, including the harvesting of the wheat. I then got to taste the pasta at the mill’s restaurant Locanda del Mulino (https://maps.app.goo.gl/CCKG22zAX7hfqXTt8), where they served the traditional dish Pici all’Aglione – pici pasta in a tomato sauce that is made with a giant garlic variety.

Finally, I spent a day with Stefano and Mariasole at the Sloow Food restaurant Ristorante Mecenate (https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cos5HGZihz3FEbUy9). Stefano took me to the local Slow Food market Foro Boario di Lucca (https://maps.app.goo.gl/bmxaHBn1R1KWYvRC7), before I joined Mariasole in the kitchen to see how she prepared Crostini (crispy bread topped with bean purée), Farinata (a comforting vegetable and bean stew thickened with polenta) and Fagioli all’Uccelletto (tender-cooked beans served in an aromatic tomato sauce. Delicious!

Vegan Cultures – The Mission:
Vegan food is not a modern invention. It’s a modern label. Many different cultures have plant-based dishes ingrained in their culinary heritage – be it for religious reasons, or due to poverty. These dishes have long stood the test of time – some of them over centuries – and can teach us a great deal about a way of eating that is both in tune with nature, and with our own needs. My hope is that by looking back at plant-based dishes from the past, we can adopt a more natural approach for the plant-based food of the future.

Let me know in the comments which country I should visit next and what kind of dishes I might find!

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Thanks for watching!