The Cabinet of Curiosities | Issue 12
Of uncovering the secret of tasteless Tuscan bread; an unsung hero of Liguria's gastronomic safekeeping and a celebration of cime di rapa (+ dining tips).
Welcome back to The Cabinet of Curiosities my fellow food lovers! To refresh your memory, cabinets of curiosities, or wunderkammers, were small collections of extraordinary objects created during the Renaissance. This is our very own Cabinet of Curiosities, dedicated to all the wonders and peculiarities of Italian food culture.
This is the last issue of the 2023 Cabinet of Curiosities: big changes are coming in 2024! We won’t spoil the surprise, but you can expect even more deep dives, forgotten recipes, hidden gems and distinctive perspectives on Italian food culture. It will still be a monthly newsletter and you’ll be seeing the contributors again and again, don’t worry!
Issue number 12, which means a whole year has passed since La Panza Piena’s contributors joined the project! I feel so blessed to have worked with each and every person who has shared a slice of their life with me and with you, our faithful readers.
On that note, we have an important request for you all who receive The Cabinet of Curiosities in your inbox every month: please tell us what you like, what you don’t and what you think by completing this very quick survey. As a thank you, we will be sending you via email an extra special gift ✨ for the Holiday season.
Things are changing (for the better) around here starting from January 2024, so in the meantime please enjoy the last three pieces of the year, from Maria Luisa’s revealing piece on the reason behind Tuscany’s salt-free bread to Ilaria’s beautifully penned ode to a Ligurian women who is safekeeping ancient gastronomic traditions and Benedetta’s celebration of cime di rapa and where to eat the best orecchiette in Bari.
I hope you enjoy the read, see you next year!
- Carlotta, founder of La Panza Piena
Why is Tuscan bread meant to be tasteless?
By Maria Luisa Ricci: Native Roman, passionate explorer of cultures, arts and cuisines and Italian gastronomic heritage lover.
In a land full of scents, richness, and flavours, where raw ingredients are excellent, how can a certified DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) product taste like very little, and still be loved?
Yes, that land is Italy, and it is here that you can acquaint yourself with a particular type of bread that for some reason has always been meant to be just tasteless.
Pane Toscano is bread from Tuscany, a region which - like others - is home to many culinary excellences. Most stem from ancient recipes that have survived to our days and live on every menu: from pici and crostini to ribollita and tozzetti.
In Tuscany, once you’ve selected your meal at a restaurant, the bread is brought to the table in a basket, covered by a cloth. Driven by hunger, you peek below the cloth, tear off a piece, give it a bite, and expect to be taken over by absolute pleasure. Yet this time… it’s different.
“What’s up with this bread?” you wonder, still waiting for your taste buds to feel something as you chew. Let me help you. Pane toscano does not have an imminent taste because, unlike others, it contains no salt. It's been this way since 1100 AD, where this story finds its roots.
In a period of strong rivalry between Pisa and Florence, the inhabitants of the former blocked all supply of salt that was making its way into Tuscany’s capital. Rather than surrender, Florentines began preparing bread without salt, and never looked back.
History proved itself to be useful, as the beloved recipe remains untouched and the pane sciapo - the Italian for unsalted and bland-tasting - pairs perfectly with many Italian full-flavoured products. For example, when paired with a slice of pecorino toscano; garlicky tomatoes; or used to sop up a sauce in la scarpetta, the seemingly meaningless existence of the bread suddenly made a world of sense.
Let me tell you a secret: even if it hadn’t made sense, Tuscans would have probably kept things unchanged, driven by an affection to tradition that as Dante Alighieri put it, had already become part of their daily life.
Tu proverai come sa di sale lo pane altrui - “Thou will experience how another's bread tastes of salt”. Dante Alighieri, Divina Commedia, Paradiso XVII.
An unsung hero of Liguria’s edible traditions
By Ilaria Riva: Storyteller, on a hunt to find taste, history and natural beauty on less traveled paths around Italy.
In Liguria, where the sea meets steep mountains, a world of unseen food artisans quietly create culinary wonders.
As I leave the packed coast behind me and drive through the quiet narrow roads that lead to the old village of Pietrabruna, I can’t help but be mesmerised by the ancient man-made terraces that cascade down the slopes.
At the heart of the town’s culinary legacy is the Stroscia di Pietrabruna, a dessert that embodies the flavours and traditions of the region. Flour, water, yeast, a touch of sugar, a dash of vermouth and extra virgin olive oil – strictly from Ligurian Taggiasca olives - constitute the simple ingredients, which must be of the best quality.
In town, there is only one place in which la Stroscia is worth a taste: Barbara and Renzo’s workshop, La Colombiera.
Always a family-run business, their workshop was firstly the village bar, tended to by Renzo's grandparents. After their passing, the establishment remained closed for years, until Barbara took it upon herself to reopen the space and dedicated it to the production of la Stroscia, forsaking her job as a mason as a consequence.
Although the dessert is a symbol of Pietrabruna, it was only prepared in homes, until Barbara’s hard work and unwavering dedication allowed for the precious tradition to be purchasable and therefore survive the passage of generations.
As the air fills with the aroma of dough being baked, Barbara shares “la Stroscia is so delicately crumbly that it defies being cut; instead, it must be broken, crumbled [from the Ligurian dialect verb strosciare, “to tear”] and then savoured”.
While she meticulously shapes the dough by hand - a physically taxing job - she explains, almost out of breath, that using a mixer is impossible as it would alter the friability of the final product. She is performing the exact gestures that so many women before her have carried out through generations, embodying a culinary legacy.
Artisans like Barbara are not just chefs, they are storytellers: weaving tales of tradition, tough manual work and the ability to transform simple ingredients into gastronomic wonders. As we savour the fruits of their labor, let us not forget the unsung heroes behind the scenes whose mastery ensures that Italy's gastronomic legacy continues to delight the world.
‘Tis the season for cime di rapa
by Benedetta Mangini: twenty-something, lover of all cuisines - yet Italian foodie at heart
If you were to pick a travel destination during the colder months, Puglia would most likely not be your first choice. However, as a southern person living abroad, when temperatures fall the sweet call of home means one thing only: it’s time for cime di rapa. When I moved to London back in September 2020, I was soon faced with the disappointing reality that Britons do not cultivate or import cime di rapa, and found myself in utter despair once the vegetable’s due season came about.
Although cime di rapa - which you might know as rapini, broccoli rabe or wild broccoli - are occasionally available over the summer too, their peak organoleptic qualities appear in the winter months. The cold emphasises the perfect balance of bitterness in the stems and the refreshing sweetness of the flowers, creating a truly versatile vegetable that is best enjoyed when paired with a carbohydrate.
In Bari, Puglia’s capital city, you can find a few interesting ways in which to savour cime di rapa, yet I’m here to cover the O.G. dish, the renowned orecchiette alla cime di rapa. As most traditional Italian dishes, the recipe is simple and only calls for a garlic, chilly, and anchovy soffritto in which stewed cime di rapa are tossed with orecchiette al dente. Once the cime di rapa break down and the ingredients combine perfectly - thanks to the graceful addition of a little pasta water - the dish is served, topped with toasted breadcrumbs for the normies, and crushed taralli for the intellectuals.
Locals don’t order orecchiette con cime di rapa when eating out, as its simplicity commonly relegates the dish to the comfort of home. However, if you lack a Pugliese mom or a local who can cook it for you, you should try it in one of these mom-approved restaurants:
Taverna Verde | The perfect spot for a quick plate of orecchiette or a generous portion of antipasti misti that will take you an afternoon to finish.
Le Uascezze | A rustic and homey environment that is beloved by locals.
Al Sorso Preferito | The perfect traditional place in which to share a selection of primi - including, of course, the beloved orecchiette.
Le Due Aquile | An unpretentious and relaxed environment, best enjoyed at lunch under the sun.
Thank you for supporting La Panza Piena and our newsletters on the curious world of Italian food culture. Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones, we’ll see you in 2024 with many more stories, insights and dining tips.