At the table in Livorno
La Toscana: Tuscan cooking, Wine and food tours
The cacciucco is the virtue of the livornese kitchen. A popular kitchen, is full of quarrels and different accents. A kitchen creates a paradise land for those who live without a native land. Livorno cacciucco is full of people from every ream. The writer Charles de Brosse said in 1973 that: “It would not be easy to name one race of the people of Livorno, but it is fair to say that all of the races of Europe, Asia and Africa are represented”. One day the people of America will come and naturally, the dish they will be served will be fish.
An assembly of humble fish in beautiful full loads; small cuttlefishes and polpi, ring dove and grongo, murena, fish cappone and scorfano, gallinella, boccaccia. Bread toasted on the bottom with ginger and a glass of soup from pestatori for you to gulp and make a wish with.”A pound of fish to one mouth” recommends a big chef. “And, a glass of red wine.”
Another specialality here is the mullet. Mullet from Livorno. Served with tomato of course. But, be careful, the mullet from the rocky shores is of a higher quality than that of the pebbled shores. The ones from the pebbled shore are very soft and don’t promise anything good. However, on the rocks, they are a healthy red colour. The turks proclaim that mullet is the “queen of the fish”, because its from the rocks and the French call it “rouget”, an exhausting name, that sounds good.
Again, be careful, the livornese mullet must not be greasy, but lean. These are the mullet to cook with the tomato. Mullet from the rocky shores of Livorno.
Recipes kindly supplied by Il Tirreno
Chiavi: Cooking, typical tuscan food
Commenti (0) | March 16, 2010