Comfort food away from home
September 4, 2003 | 12:00am
I love to eat… and a few will believe it! Very few know that I took up hotel and restaurant management in college. I also worked in a hotel for a few months in between my modelling years. Many are surprised where I put all the things I munch on. I am also quite adventurous and not picky. So long as the food is good, I do not mind eating in a simple setup provided that the place is clean. Travelling and getting to know a place is nothing without trying out its local cuisine. Before I go to a place, I make sure I get recommendations from friends who have been there and read as much information from different sources as I can.
This passion for food started pretty late though. I remember how much patience my mother needed to make me eat. I would sit at the dining table for hours until I finished my food. Usually, the kitchen would already be preparing the day’s next meal but would still be in my seat finishing my food. I would keep my food in my mouth for such a time and forget to chew. It was torture. I would dread eating.
I also remember our family Sunday trips to the Magnolia plant for ice cream during my childhood. Each Sunday, I would only order a glass of water. I hated ice cream. It gave me a headache. But now, I love Italian gelato. It is the best!
Funny how things have changed. My past hatred for food has turned into passion. I love eating. I love going to good restaurants and enjoying their specialities.
Since my business opened, I frequent Florence to search for new products to offer my clients. I’ve tried many good restaurants there and I found a few restaurants that felt like home.
One of them is Il Latini. The owners, Torello and Sonia Latini, would personally greet and serve their guests.
In Italy, there is no such thing as Italian food, rather there are local cookery traditions. You know the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do?" Well, the same goes for the food. In Florence, you would be served Tuscan food. And, it’s my personal fave of all time.
The origins of Tuscan food date back almost 3,000 years to when the region was settled by Etruscans, a mysterious people who are thought to have migrated to central Italy from Asia Minor. Their tombs contain beautiful frescoes showing pappardelle (noodles), pasta wheels for cutting pasta, colanders, cheese graters, grilled steak and bread.
Many of Tuscany’s typical dishes date back to the time when the Roman empire was destroyed by Germanic invaders in the 5th century. Starving peasants filled up on bread, which was made without salt. Salt then was a precious import that only the wealthy could afford. To this day, Tuscan bread is made sciarpo (saltless).
Servants of feudal lords learned to make nourishing soups and oil-flavored toasts from the scraps of meat their lords left them. crostini toscani and ribollita are thought to be modern versions of these medieval dishes. Ribollita is my personal favorite. It is a vegetable and bread soup linked to the peasant tradition that created them.
The bread-based primi piatti are among the most typical Tuscan specialities. Another classic peasant dish from the hills of Siena is pappa al pomodoro, a tomato and bread soup is excellent.
The secret ingredient to Tuscan cooking is the use of only the finest and the freshest local ingredients prepared with care. Food is ideally brought to the table as close as possible to the way nature made them. Dishes are cooked simply and given extra taste by using local herbs, like rosemary, basil, thyme, parsley and sage. Meat and fish are usually grilled or roasted with plenty of olive oil and herbs. Sometimes, meat is gently simmered in oil or a vegetable-based sauce until it is tender and flavorful. Meat, fish and vegetables are also deep-fried in the region’s excellent olive oil.
Bisteca alla Florentina is probably the best-known Tuscan main course. It is the ultimate treat for meat lovers. The steak is cut from Chianina beef and hung for at least six days. This breed is native to the Val di Chiana near Arezzo. It is cut from the animal’s loin and includes the fillet and T-bone. Traditionally, it is cooked over the embers of a charcoal or wood-burning grill and accompanied with a side dish of boiled white cannelloni beans. It is eaten al sangue or very rare.
Another meat speciality is arista, roast pork loin. Its name comes from the Greek aristos, meaning the best. The loin, with all the chops attached to the backbone, is spiked with garlic and rosemary and slowly roasted in the oven. I’ve tried this and it’s delicious!
It is great to start with cured Tuscan meat. Tuscan raw ham, or prosciutto crudo, is treated with plenty of salt and pepper and also flavored with garlic and juniper berries. This makes it tastier than what we usually have tried like Parma or San Daniele. Tuscan ham is often carved by hand and served on saltless Tuscan bread. It is perfect with a good red Chianti.
Sbriciolona, the Florentine version of salami, is very soft, fresh and crumbly. It is served rather thick since it is difficult to slice thinly.
Desert is often a choice between seasonal fruits or something made simply with honey, nuts and other locally grown products, all served with vin santo (holy wine).
It’s funny to think that such humble beginnings would create such great cuisine. From necessity, peasants were forced to create dishes from leftovers. They must be laughing now. The most respected restaurants serve these poor man’s dishes and the people who have lots of money now eat them.
All these are made fresh at Il Latini situated at Via dei Piachetti, 6r in Florence. It has been there since 1898 when Angelo Latini opened a wine-grocery shop. The business was only transformed into a restaurant in 1964. Count Rucellai suggested the name and his son designed the interiors. Since 1982, the trattoria has been headquarters to the famous literature award, Il Latini. The trattoria serves only a limited selection of traditional Tuscan dishes. And, it is served in a setup with guests sharing tables true to the peasant tradition. They make their own olive oil, cured meat, biscotti (cookies) and wine. Big bottles of the house’s Chianti are also shared. Locals and tourists wait patiently outside to enjoy their cooking. There are no reservations so be patient. To make you feel more at home, sweet wine and cheese will distract you while waiting for your seat. It is said that the best gauge if a restaurant serves authentic cuisine if the locals frequent it. Il Latini is definitely one of them.
The great thing about Tuscan cooking is that there is something for everyone. Everything is so good! And, you can eat many dishes everyday without feeling saturated. It’s cooking in its purest state. It’s simple and only the best and freshest ingredients are allowed in the kitchen. I cannot live without Tuscany’s liquid gold, olive oil.
This passion for food started pretty late though. I remember how much patience my mother needed to make me eat. I would sit at the dining table for hours until I finished my food. Usually, the kitchen would already be preparing the day’s next meal but would still be in my seat finishing my food. I would keep my food in my mouth for such a time and forget to chew. It was torture. I would dread eating.
I also remember our family Sunday trips to the Magnolia plant for ice cream during my childhood. Each Sunday, I would only order a glass of water. I hated ice cream. It gave me a headache. But now, I love Italian gelato. It is the best!
Funny how things have changed. My past hatred for food has turned into passion. I love eating. I love going to good restaurants and enjoying their specialities.
Since my business opened, I frequent Florence to search for new products to offer my clients. I’ve tried many good restaurants there and I found a few restaurants that felt like home.
One of them is Il Latini. The owners, Torello and Sonia Latini, would personally greet and serve their guests.
In Italy, there is no such thing as Italian food, rather there are local cookery traditions. You know the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do?" Well, the same goes for the food. In Florence, you would be served Tuscan food. And, it’s my personal fave of all time.
The origins of Tuscan food date back almost 3,000 years to when the region was settled by Etruscans, a mysterious people who are thought to have migrated to central Italy from Asia Minor. Their tombs contain beautiful frescoes showing pappardelle (noodles), pasta wheels for cutting pasta, colanders, cheese graters, grilled steak and bread.
Many of Tuscany’s typical dishes date back to the time when the Roman empire was destroyed by Germanic invaders in the 5th century. Starving peasants filled up on bread, which was made without salt. Salt then was a precious import that only the wealthy could afford. To this day, Tuscan bread is made sciarpo (saltless).
Servants of feudal lords learned to make nourishing soups and oil-flavored toasts from the scraps of meat their lords left them. crostini toscani and ribollita are thought to be modern versions of these medieval dishes. Ribollita is my personal favorite. It is a vegetable and bread soup linked to the peasant tradition that created them.
The bread-based primi piatti are among the most typical Tuscan specialities. Another classic peasant dish from the hills of Siena is pappa al pomodoro, a tomato and bread soup is excellent.
The secret ingredient to Tuscan cooking is the use of only the finest and the freshest local ingredients prepared with care. Food is ideally brought to the table as close as possible to the way nature made them. Dishes are cooked simply and given extra taste by using local herbs, like rosemary, basil, thyme, parsley and sage. Meat and fish are usually grilled or roasted with plenty of olive oil and herbs. Sometimes, meat is gently simmered in oil or a vegetable-based sauce until it is tender and flavorful. Meat, fish and vegetables are also deep-fried in the region’s excellent olive oil.
Bisteca alla Florentina is probably the best-known Tuscan main course. It is the ultimate treat for meat lovers. The steak is cut from Chianina beef and hung for at least six days. This breed is native to the Val di Chiana near Arezzo. It is cut from the animal’s loin and includes the fillet and T-bone. Traditionally, it is cooked over the embers of a charcoal or wood-burning grill and accompanied with a side dish of boiled white cannelloni beans. It is eaten al sangue or very rare.
Another meat speciality is arista, roast pork loin. Its name comes from the Greek aristos, meaning the best. The loin, with all the chops attached to the backbone, is spiked with garlic and rosemary and slowly roasted in the oven. I’ve tried this and it’s delicious!
It is great to start with cured Tuscan meat. Tuscan raw ham, or prosciutto crudo, is treated with plenty of salt and pepper and also flavored with garlic and juniper berries. This makes it tastier than what we usually have tried like Parma or San Daniele. Tuscan ham is often carved by hand and served on saltless Tuscan bread. It is perfect with a good red Chianti.
Sbriciolona, the Florentine version of salami, is very soft, fresh and crumbly. It is served rather thick since it is difficult to slice thinly.
Desert is often a choice between seasonal fruits or something made simply with honey, nuts and other locally grown products, all served with vin santo (holy wine).
It’s funny to think that such humble beginnings would create such great cuisine. From necessity, peasants were forced to create dishes from leftovers. They must be laughing now. The most respected restaurants serve these poor man’s dishes and the people who have lots of money now eat them.
All these are made fresh at Il Latini situated at Via dei Piachetti, 6r in Florence. It has been there since 1898 when Angelo Latini opened a wine-grocery shop. The business was only transformed into a restaurant in 1964. Count Rucellai suggested the name and his son designed the interiors. Since 1982, the trattoria has been headquarters to the famous literature award, Il Latini. The trattoria serves only a limited selection of traditional Tuscan dishes. And, it is served in a setup with guests sharing tables true to the peasant tradition. They make their own olive oil, cured meat, biscotti (cookies) and wine. Big bottles of the house’s Chianti are also shared. Locals and tourists wait patiently outside to enjoy their cooking. There are no reservations so be patient. To make you feel more at home, sweet wine and cheese will distract you while waiting for your seat. It is said that the best gauge if a restaurant serves authentic cuisine if the locals frequent it. Il Latini is definitely one of them.
The great thing about Tuscan cooking is that there is something for everyone. Everything is so good! And, you can eat many dishes everyday without feeling saturated. It’s cooking in its purest state. It’s simple and only the best and freshest ingredients are allowed in the kitchen. I cannot live without Tuscany’s liquid gold, olive oil.
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