The best of Tuscan street food

Tuscany is the birthplace of ribollita and bistecca alla fiorentina, but also one of the regions in Italy with the widest variety of street food specialities. The tradition is rich in quick and inexpensive preparations that are sold almost everywhere. These are delicious delicacies that combine old-fashioned flavours with new combinations.

What are the quick and low-cost foods to eat on the street in Tuscany? Follow us on this gastronomic journey through the specialities of Tuscan street food, which we are sure will make your mouth water!

The lampredotto sandwich

If we are talking about Tuscan street food, it is almost impossible not to mention the lampredotto sandwich, a typical Florentine speciality that you can taste in the many kiosks scattered around the city, the so-called ‘lampredottai’, some of which have become a veritable institution over the years. What is lampredotto? It corresponds to one of the four sections of the cattle’s stomach, the abomasum to be precise, which is boiled for a long time with herbs so that it is tender and tasty. It can be eaten ‘plain’ or cut into slices as the filling of a sandwich and seasoned with the classic salsa verde.

The porchetta sandwich

Another Tuscan street food speciality is the porchetta sandwich, to be accompanied strictly by a good glass of red wine. Porchetta consists of a whole pig, hollowed out, boned, seasoned with spices and pepper, and roasted. In Tuscany it is flavoured with rosemary. The sandwich typically used is the rosetta, but it can also be enjoyed with sliced Tuscan bread. Present almost everywhere, sellers of porchetta sandwiches, popularly known as ‘porchettari’, are a must for all street food lovers.

The cecina

Very popular with vegans is cecina, a savoury pie, soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, made from chickpea flour, a healthy food rich in vitamins B and C, vegetable protein and minerals. It is eaten alone with salt and pepper, cut into slices and accompanied by red wine. It can be found almost everywhere, but especially in the provinces of Lucca, Pisa, Massa-Carrara and Livorno. It is also called ‘cinque e cinque’ (five and five) because when one went to the bakery, one bought 5 lire of bread and 5 lire of cecina, which was thus consumed in the sandwich. According to a popular legend, its origins date back as far as the 13th century.

The necci

In the areas between Garfagnana, Lucca, the Pistoia mountains and upper Versilia, necci are very common, which are nothing more than crepes, similar to crepes, prepared with water, salt and sifted chestnut flour. This is why they are a delicacy to be enjoyed in autumn. They are cooked in the testo, where chestnut leaves are placed before the dough is poured in to give the dish its characteristic aroma. Once cooked, the necci are usually filled with ricotta or chocolate (but also with cold meats, sliced meats or various cheeses) and rolled into the shape of a cannoli.

The brigidini

Brigidini are traditional Tuscan sweets, especially popular in Lamporecchio, a municipality in the province of Pistoia. They are very thin and crispy wafers, similar to crisps but with a sweet aniseed-flavoured taste. Gastornomo Pellegrino Artusi called them a ‘special treat’. They are mainly found at fairs, village festivals and fun fairs. They owe their name to the nuns of the convent of Santa Brigida, who are said to have invented them in the 16th century, whether on purpose, by accident or by mistake. They are traditionally accompanied by vin santo.

The scagliozzi

Finally, we recommend you try the scagliozzi, one of the most sought-after foods for street food lovers not only from Tuscany. For those not familiar with them, they are rectangles of fried polenta with an irresistible flavour that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. You can buy them in various cities in Tuscany, but particularly in the provinces of Florence, Lucca and Livorno. They are generally eaten hot during the winter season. They are perfect as a snack to be eaten quickly on the street.