Typical dishes in Pisa
Italian cuisine is known worldwide, especially for pizza and pasta, but also for desserts such as tiramisu or homemade ice cream. And yet the country has much more delicious food to offer with many regional specialties that you shouldn’t miss during your holiday in Italy.
Now, if you are on vacation in Tuscany, what are the typical dishes in Pisa that you simply have to try?
The Pisan cuisine is very varied, just like the surrounding Tuscan countryside: there is the sea, hills with cornfields, olives and vineyards, but also large forests. That’s why you can find excellent fish dishes as well as game and mushrooms from the surrounding forests.
Tuscan bread, prepared completely without salt, accompanies many of the typical dishes in Pisa, such as the traditional “Sullo Scio” soup, made with tomatoes, herbs and broken tagliatelle, served with flakes of parmesan cheese on top.
Speaking of bread, you also have to mention “Cecina”, a flat focaccia made with chickpea flour that you can find in many of the city’s shops and bakeries. Soft on the inside, crispy on the outside, that’s exactly how the perfect Cecina should be.
The climatic conditions are just perfect for growing vegetables, which is why they are part of many recipes and served as side dish. Beans, the main ingredient in a soup called “Bordatino”, are very popular, but dishes such as squid with beans or tuna and bean salad are also often found on the menu.
The so-called “Cee alla Pisana”, baby eels from the Arno River that runs through the city, used to be extremely popular in the past.
Some typical dishes in Pisa are very down to earth, such as “Maggese” made from sliced pork shoulder and pecorino cheese or “Testicciola alla Pisana”.
For dessert, you should definitely try the “Torta con i Bischeri”, a cake made of cooked rice, refined with vanilla and lemon, candied fruit, raisins and maraschino liqueur. Just delicious!
If you want to taste a glass of wine with your meal, Pisa is the place to be, as you can find some of Italy’s best wine-growing regions in the country side. The Chianti Colline Pisane, the Bianco Pisano di San Torpé, the Colli dell’Etruria Centrale, the Montescudaio and of course the sweet dessert wine Vin Santo are particularly recommended and worth a try.
On that note, buon appetito!
