Tuscany in the Fall
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Yanou Collart
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Linked in the article (7 min read)
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M. F. K. Fisher
17 min read
Fisher is referenced multiple times in the article as a foundational figure in American food writing, mentioned alongside James Beard and Julia Child as someone who 'changed the way America eats.' Understanding her pioneering role in elevating food writing to literature provides essential context for this reading list.
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Chianina
12 min read
The article mentions eating 'Chianina beef grilled over a wood fire' in Tuscany. This ancient Italian cattle breed, one of the oldest and largest in the world, has deep connections to Tuscan culinary tradition and provides fascinating historical and agricultural context for the travel narrative.
I’m in Tuscany this week, on an eating odyssey with Nancy Silverton and Missy Robbins. Here we are, all geared up to visit the extraordinary cheese producer, Caseificio Piu in the Val d’Orcia.
Last night we had dinner at Silvana in Citta della Pieve, where you can get the kind of straightforward Italian food you want to eat when you’re here. We began with this pappa all pomodoro, …..
… went on to a huge platter of Chianina beef grilled over a wood fire.
and finished with - what else - aged pecorino cheese.
Here’s Missy chatting with Chef Silvana.
Much more about our adventures next week, including great meals and an incredible truffle hunt…
Last week, when I listed a few favorite new books, a reader asked if I had any more suggestions and I offered up an old list published almost twenty years ago. I promised a longer list….
This is hardly comprehensive. Since I’m in Italy I can’t even go through my bookshelves. So off the top of my head and in no particular order these are a few of the many, many food books that mean a lot to me.
Please let me know which books are important to you.
The Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks. Toni Tipton-Martin has the most amazing cookbook collection. Here she presents the books in chronological order and virtually rewrites the history of Black cooks in America.
The Third Plate. I think Dan Barber has the most interesting food mind of anyone writing - or cooking - today. Essential reading.
Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger by Lisa Donovan. “Stop letting men tell your story,” the indomitable Diana Kennedy once told Lisa Donovan. So Lisa took on the male-dominated kitchen - and triumphed. Her bad-ass memoir is right up there with Blood, Bones and Butter.
Hungry by Jeff Gordinier. One of our finest food writers finds himself caught up in the crazy orbit of one of the world’s most fascinating chefs. Whatever you think you know about Rene Redzepi - this will tell you so much more.
Dirt by Bill Buford. Bill has such an interesting mind…. I love everything he writes. But his description of working in the restaurants of Lyon makes you understand the origin of all the bad behavior in professional kitchens.
Everything is Under Control. In beautiful prose Phyllis Grant (poet and
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