Gluttony

The Tuscans are famous for celebrating every aspect of life with good friends, abundant food, and a nice helping of wine. Since I moved here, I feel as if I have been celebrating more than ever before…let me tell you what we did this past domenica, Sunday.

To mark the end of the hunting season and to thank all of those involved, teams get together and plan a game fueled lunch. Now, these are not just your ordinary lunches, these are feasts…for the eyes, nose, and not to mention, stomachs. Our lunch started with a plate of antipasti…this included some crostini, little toasts with toppings, and affettati, slices of prosciutto and salame. The next course (il primo) was pasta, tagliatelle al sugo di cinghiale, wild boar sauce. This was followed by yet another pasta (il secondo primo), penne all’amatriciana, spicy pork and tomatoes. Are you getting the picture? The fourth course (il secondo) was cinghiale in umido, stewed wild boar. The fifth course (il secondo secondo) was capriolo in umido, venison stew. The sixth course (il terzo secondo)…no I am not kidding…was roast beef con piselli, the same roast beef you are used to with peas. The seventh course (il quarto secondo) was agnello con insalata, oven roasted lamb with a side of salad. You would think it finished there, but the Tuscans are also famous for their love of dessert. We were then served a beautiful torta di frutta, glazed fruit cake with a piece of crostata di marmellata, marmalade torte. They then came around with grappa, moscato spumante, and finally un caffe’. After at least four and a half hours at the table, I decided gluttony may not be such a bad thing after all…but afterwards, a little walk on the mountain doesn’t hurt either.