Did you know that a lot of Italian food just happens to be vegan?

VEGAN CULTURES EP. 4 | TUSCANY, ITALY
For my second episode in Tuscany, I’m diving deeper into the region’s culinary traditions. Street food chickpea pancakes, classics like Ribollita and unseen Tuscan trattoria dishes like Fagioli all’Uccelletto – this episode is packed with traditional Italian food that is entirely plant-based. Thanks for supporting this show @SlowFoodInt & Meatless Monday.

Tuscany Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMPffBUl5E0

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:35 Ribollita
03:30 Contorni
04:13 Passata
06:06 Pomodori
08:02 Torta di Ceci
11:45 Pasta (Pici)
13:42 Harvesting Wheat
14:15 Pici all’Aglione
15:50 Cucina Toscana
16:23 Italian Market
17:17 Crostini
17:55 Farinata di Cavolo Nero
18:52 Fagioli all’Uccelletto
19:49 End

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Tuscany Food Tour:

My first stop is at Trattoria Cammillo (https://maps.app.goo.gl/7DgXjdn9XtGiCxdM7), the epitome of a Tuscan Trattoria, Here, I get to learn all about Ribollita, Tuscany’s comforting bread, bean and vegetable stew that is served so thick, you eat it with a fork. I’m also trying some traditional Contorni (side dishes), like Fritto di fiori di zucca (fried courgette flowers), Ceci con l’olio nuovo (chickpeas in new season olive oil), sautéed greens with garlic and chilli and a combination of the chickpeas and greens. For dessert, there’s Frutta Fresca (fresh fruit) and, of course, a good strong caffè (espresso).

Next, I am visiting the Slow Food organisation Agricola Calafata to see how Italy’s iconic Passata is made from scratch. They told me about the biodynamic tomato producer Agricola Biologica Nico (https://maps.app.goo.gl/U1zQMqyPz5ovvsy79), where I learned how tomatoes are actually grown – both out on the fields as well as in a green house using cover crops instead of chemicals and pesticides.

Then it was time for an iconic Tuscany street food at Da Gagarin (https://maps.app.goo.gl/aZfLfkCFjki6upZM9). Giuliano, who runs the shop, is known as the king of Torta di Ceci, a wood-fired, crispy chickpea pancake that is served inbetween focaccia for a sandwich called Cinque e Cinque. Also make sure to try the version “con melanzane” (with aubergines).

Many believe that pasta is always made with egg, but there are many pasta shapes, especially when manufactured, that are just a mix of semolina flour and water. At Mulino val d’Orcia (https://maps.app.goo.gl/83oKtPSXRYkSq5s96), I followed the entire process, including the harvesting of the wheat. I then got to taste the pasta at the mill’s restaurant Locanda del Mulino (https://maps.app.goo.gl/CCKG22zAX7hfqXTt8), where they served the traditional dish Pici all’Aglione – pici pasta in a tomato sauce that is made with a giant garlic variety.

Finally, I spent a day with Stefano and Mariasole at the Sloow Food restaurant Ristorante Mecenate (https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cos5HGZihz3FEbUy9). Stefano took me to the local Slow Food market Foro Boario di Lucca (https://maps.app.goo.gl/bmxaHBn1R1KWYvRC7), before I joined Mariasole in the kitchen to see how she prepared Crostini (crispy bread topped with bean purée), Farinata (a comforting vegetable and bean stew thickened with polenta) and Fagioli all’Uccelletto (tender-cooked beans served in an aromatic tomato sauce. Delicious!

Vegan Cultures – The Mission:
Vegan food is not a modern invention. It’s a modern label. Many different cultures have plant-based dishes ingrained in their culinary heritage – be it for religious reasons, or due to poverty. These dishes have long stood the test of time – some of them over centuries – and can teach us a great deal about a way of eating that is both in tune with nature, and with our own needs. My hope is that by looking back at plant-based dishes from the past, we can adopt a more natural approach for the plant-based food of the future.

Let me know in the comments which country I should visit next and what kind of dishes I might find!

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Thanks for watching!

28 Comments

  1. This could easily have been an hour (or two!) and I would have happy watched the whole thing. What joy!

  2. The visuals are so pleasing. Didnt know Italy has so much vegan food. Thks for doing this awesome video😊

  3. Love these videos you made in Italy (previous included). I've heard there are vegan options with Armenian food like Zhengyalov Hatz. Maybe you can make that. There's a popular place in Los Angeles that makes them.

  4. I love love love watching your videos!! You have such a wonderful smile, energy, and passion for vegan food! Would love to be able to do this someday!

  5. Ma che ne sanno i turisti della cucina italiana ( vorrei ricordare che la Toscana è UNA delle regioni d'Italia) : da sempre è una cucina povera, con pochissima carne, con verdure e legumi cucinati in mille modi…smettetela di chiedere la carbonara o le polpette o, peggio la pasta alfredo.

  6. Dude, I am dying for you to be given a publishing deal so you can write us a cookbook based on your culinary adventures and expertise!!!
    Absolutely love your channel. It’s what I’ve been looking for for half my life!
    I hate how so much vegan food in cafes (at least in Australia) contains either tasteless and poorly prepared tofu or legumes (leading people to believe that tofu and legumes taste bad), or, even worse, contains ultra-processed fake meat and fake cheese! 🫣🤮
    You finally gave me the term for the food I like best – “cucina povera”. But not just Italian cucina povera but the simple, hearty, delicious plant based dishes from every culture.
    Congratulations on your incredible series and your channel. Absolutely inspiring! 🎉😊

  7. You have got to visit India for vegan food! You will find hundreds across the length and breadth of India. And we Indians love eating and hosting people. Food and religion are very closely tied together here. So you will find plenty of vegetarians and vegans!

    Please do visit us 🥰

  8. I was taught to make "farinata"… But it refered to a dish that was more like the chickpea pancake. I am so confused, haha.

    Please do more of Italy, but not just Tuscany! Do Abruzzo!

  9. I just love watching traditional ways of cooking from all over the world. 🥰
    Being Indian vegetarian, most of times I have to brace myself and skip through when a video shows raw meat or butchery and such stuff which literally is very unpleasant, saddening for me.
    I am so glad and thankful that westerners have now finally embraced vegetarian and/or vegan cuisine and diet.
    Your channel is one channel where I know I don't need to fast forward any part of the clip and can thoroughly enjoy it with a broad smile on my face. 😍😋

  10. Hey man, I was vegan as well for 3.5 years. You've got to stop doing this diet or you will get sick from it. Read "The Vegetarian Myth". Just saying this because I don't want anybody to experience what I experienced. Every vegan stops being vegan due to health problems before or later

  11. Hermann, you've truly taken your mission to the next level with videos like these! I really enjoyed the narration, the momentum, and the production value and the editing, everything is just on point! The research your team must have had to put into this is exemplary.

    Keep them coming and spread the awareness of plantbased deliciousness with traditional methods from all around the world. Great work and great going!

  12. Wow, that sounds amazing!💚 Tuscany’s Traditional Vegan Food must have been such a flavorful experience. I love how it brings the rich tastes of Italian cuisine to life in a plant-based way. I can’t wait to hear more about what you tried—bet it was delicious!

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