My Italian Education on Sourcing, Cooking and Eating Bistecca alla Fiorentina

The Chianina

A bistecca alla Fiorentina aka the Tuscan T-Bone, is a rite of passage for the taste traveler in Italy. La Fiorentina is produced from the meat of one of the oldest breeds of cattle, the Chianina. The breed originates in the Valdichiana, from which it takes its name, and the middle Tiber valley. The rough pastures and rolling hills of the Val di Chiana have been the home of Chianina cattle for at least 2,000 years. The Etruscans and the Romans used the ancestors of today’s animals in processions and for sacrifices to their gods and the impressive stature and appearance of these Italian bovines made them a top model in Roman sculptures. I have seen the Chianina grazing in pastures outside the town of Citta di Castello in Umbria and the hillsides of Tuscany near Abazzia San Antimo. They are impressive both in stature (over 6 feet tall) and in color (light pale to snow white). The young animals can weigh up to 1540 pounds and provide the large cuts of meat needed for the legendary bistecca.

Generational producers and a pastured landscape allow the cattle to graze and create the great muscles needed to produce this quality of meat. Meat that is firm, lightly marbled and delicious with more protein, less fat and less cholesterol than other beef. These animals are perfectly constructed to rise to the heights of culinary stardom. 

Chianina Cattle

Bistecca in Panzano

My Italian education on sourcing, cooking and eating bistecca alla Fiorentina reached its zenith one Sunday afternoon in late October while drinking wine and sampling porchetta and salumi at Antica Macelleria Cecchini in Panzano in Chianti. Slightly off the tourist flow, halfway between Florence and Siena, Panzano and its surroundings are the gateway to Chianti with panoramic views of the hills and vineyards making it one of the most scenic stops on the Via Chiantigiana (SS222). A stop that should not be missed for the food, wine, regional design and the bistecca. To study bistecca you must come to Panzano to Antica Macelleria Cecchini where master butcher and shop owner Dario Cecchini defines the art. Antica Macelleria Cecchini is a classroom for the study of bistecca where students (diners) come from far and wide to experience the proper preparation of meat including the bistecca alla Fiorentina.

Panzano in Chianti

The Master of Bistecca

Dario Cecchini - Owner of Antica Macellaria Cecchini

There is old Tuscan proverb, “meglio spendere soldi dal macellaio che dal farmacista” translated to mean “it is better to spend money at the butcher than the pharmacist”. Italians have long understood how food strengthens our health and well-being and forges an emotional bond to life. This only holds true if you are privileged enough to access and eat meat that according to butcher and shop owner Dario Cecchini have come from animals that

• have lived a good and healthy life with ample room to grow and thrive

• have a humane and “good death”

• have been processed by a good butcher who knows the right way to bring out the best qualities of the meat

• have been prepared and cooked by someone who in Dario’s words can “dignify the animal and all those whose labors led it to the table”

Lofty and solemn words from an Italian butcher who is somewhat of a celebrity himself (Elton John, Sting and King Charles buy from him). So much so that the late Anthony Bourdain, never at a lost for a snarky comment, was at his deferential best when he and his TV crew visited and lauded Cecchini at his shop in Panzano.

Dario Cecchini is undoubtedly the master of florentine bistecca. Referring to the steak as “her majesty”, his preparation is the result of many years work, with a long family tradition behind it. He welcomes responsible carnivores to convivial tables at his restaurants and serves his bistecca seasoned at the table with Profumo del Chianti and a good extra virgin olive oil. His recipe is simple

• a 2–3 inch T-bone or a 2-inch-thick porterhouse steak at room temperature

• a proprietary herbal salt blend he calls Profumo del Chianti

• quality extra virgin olive oil

Bistecca alla Fiorentina

Without seasoning or oiling the steaks, lay them on a charcoal grill or wood fire to sizzle happily for 5–8 minutes per side. The fire should be hot enough that it sears a nice crust on the outside but moderate enough to allow the thick steaks to cook through without burning. Be careful not to pierce the meat when turning. Then set the steaks vertically on the grill, resting them on the flat part of the T-bone, Stonehenge style for 15 minutes. When the steaks are done, transfer to a platter, at the table sprinkle with Profumo del Chianti and black pepper with a drizzle of very good olive oil.

Bisteccca cum laude

Panzano on a Sunday afternoon is inspiring, an open classroom for me to achieve distinction in my study of the bistecca. The views from this Tuscan hill town are breathtaking. The townspeople are warm and welcoming and a stop to sample or eat at Antica Macelleria Cecchini (there is a small restaurant next door with convivial tables) is an uplifting experience that will make you realize the respect and reverence we should have for the food we eat.

Antica Macelleria Cecchini

My cum laude experience began as part of a Sunday afternoon meet, greet and tasting frenzy that surrounds a sampling of Cecchini’s work. Like attending a gallery showing of a famous artist, fans press through the doorway of the little butcher shop located on a side street off the main piazza. They are offered a wine pour of Chianti from a traditional Italian fiasco and upon entering jostle themselves to a sideboard for a sampling of traditional Chianti salami with wild fennel pollen, lardo made with olive oil, white wine, sea salt and herbs and Tuscan porchetta that is so good it will bring tears to your eyes.

The incensual aroma of herbs, meat, oil, wine and herbs wafts through Cecchini’s shop and lingers into the late October afternoon. Cecchini spontaneously sings opera arias and quotes triplets from Dante. I pass by and shyly glance at the master of Italian butchers. He smiles and gives me a kiss on the cheek.

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Cositutti Visit to Antica Macelleria Cecchini - Panzano, Chianti in Tuscany