Tuscan cooking, with its simplicity and emphasis on fresh, local ingredients, has had a major influence on Italian cuisine. Classic Tuscan antipasti, like bruschetta (stale bread that is toasted and dressed with oil and garlic) and crostini (toast with pate) are peasant fare.

Olive oil
The essential flavoring, is used with everything: from a dressing for salads, to a medium for cooking to a drizzle for bread, vegetables, soups and stews.

Soups
Soups are quite common on Tuscan menus, which usually always include either ribollita, a hearty stew of vegetables, beans and chunks of bread, or zuppa di farro, a thick soup made with a barley-like grain called spelt. Other popular soups include Pappa col pomodoro (bread and tomato soup) as well as cacciucco, a spiced fish and seafood soup.

Beans
White cannellini beans (fagioli) are another favorite, used in salads, with pasta (tuoni e lampo), with sausages in stew (fagioli all`uccelletto), or just drizzled with olive oil. Tuscany is not known for its pasta, although many towns in the south serve pici, which is thick, hand-rolled spaghetti with toasted breadcrumbs.

Meat
Meat is usually grilled and served plain. Local favorites include bistecca alla fiorentina (rare char-grilled steak) and the simple rustic dishes of arista (roasted pork loin stuffed with rosemary and garlic) or pollo alla diavola (flattened, marinated chicken grilled with herbs). Game such as cinghiale (wild boar) and coniglio (rabbit) often turns up in hill-town trattorias.

Cheese
Sheep`s milk pecorino is the most common Tuscan cheese (said to be best in Pienza), but the most famous is the oval marzolino from the Chianti region, which is eaten either fresh or ripened. Usually combined with ricotta and gnocchi, spinach is also used as a pasta filling, in crespoline (pancakes) or eaten as a snack between two chunks of focaccia.

Dessert
Dessert menus often feature cantuccini, hard, almond-flavored biscuits that are dipped in a glass of sweet dessert wine called Vinsanto. Siena is the main origin of sweet treats, including almond macaroons and panforte, a rich and very dense cake full of nuts and fruit.

Wines
Tuscany produces some of Italy`s finest wines. Three top names are Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, which all bear the exclusive DOCG mark (with price tags to match). There are dozens of other Chianti varieties as well, most of them excellent quality, but it can be difficult to find a deal. Both Montalcino and Montepulciano have rosso varieties that are more budget-friendly, and other names to look for include Carmignano and Rosso delle Colline Lucchesi. Two noteworthy white wines are dry Vernaccia di San Gimignano and Galestro.