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If you mention gourmet food, most likely two countries come to mind: France and Italy. But if you take a step back, you’ll discover that much of the French traditions have their origins in Tuscany, from when the Firenze chefs followed the French court of Caterina de’Medici in the 1500s. Tuscan cooking has a deceptively simple quality to it, based on purity and the natural taste of ingredients, rather than trying to mask the flavours with seasonings and sauces like in other cultures. Gourmets in Tuscany are in for a real treat, but what can they expect to sample while abroad?

The varied geography of Tuscany contributes to the flavours you can expect to enjoy. The area mixes mountains, villages, cities and sea-coasts. Near the sea, you predictably can enjoy a huge selection of seafood, the highlight of which is Cacciucco – a famous soup with a flavour that varies depending on the catch of the day. Elsewhere in the region, you’ll find local meats grilled over open fires. One of the best known dishes in Tuscan cooking is Bistecca Fiorentina, perfectly done T-bone steak served with a splash of olive oil. With the Tuscan hills home to pheasant, rabbit, partridge and wild boar, game has also played an important part in Tuscany’s gourmet cuisine throughout the years, if you manage to grow tired of farmed meats, and the warm Mediterranean weather if of course perfect for vegetables to grow and develop a rich, full flavour. Many of them have had such a strong growth that they can be delicious eaten raw, or steamed and drizzled with olive oil and a little garlic, but to me the best way to enjoy these luscious legumes is a local method called ‘saltare’. Saltaring involves steaming the vegetables, and then saut

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