Tuscany's proud steak

The Bistecca alla Fiorentina is a unique Italian delicacy

The first time I ever saw it was in a restaurant in Tuscany. There was a party of five sitting at the table next to my husband and I. The waitress brought over a massive bloody rare T-bone steak. It had to have been at least three fingers thick and it hung over the sides of the dinner plate, dripping with warm succulent juices. I was astounded at who would order such a huge piece of meat, so I watched.
The party of five began by refilling their wine glasses and passing some vegetables. After a few minutes and with hardly a break in their conversation, they began to slice into the succulent, juicy piece of meat. Mouth-watering, I watched as it almost tore apart and they divided the massive T-bone amongst them. With the potatoes and greens on their plate, they ate in slow fashion and in small bites with plenty of conversation, conviviality and wine. It was hard to keep from drooling!
Of course you know I'm talking about the famous bistecca alla fiorentina. The most famous steak in the world is a cut of meat similar to that of the T-bone steak, except it is always cut about 2 1/2 inches high and served bloody rare. It's the love of Florence and is as synonymous with Tuscany as rolling hills and Renaissance masterpieces. The cut looks like a Porterhouse, the T-bone steak's big brother, but what makes the bistecca alla fiorentina special, unique and unable to duplicate anywhere else, is the beef. The Fiorentina is from Chianina beef, the white oxen raised in the Val di Chiana near Arezzo.
The Chianina breed is one of the most sought after and valuable in all of Italy. With ideal conditions such as those in the Chiana valley, the cattle grow rapidly, becoming very large in size compared to other varieties of beef. The Chianina can be recognized by their pale colouring, their light, short-horned head, and their elongated rump with broad back and loin sections. Meat from the Chiana valley is low in fat without being dry and is particularly spicy and flavoursome as a result of the natural grazing these special animals enjoy.
The Chianina are so huge they provide extra large cuts of meat including the huge T-bone steaks for bistecca alla fiorentina. These steaks are so large they tend to get up to six pounds or more. Tuscans say it has a salty taste. Unfortunately, finding good Chianina beef is not easy, nor has it ever been. This means that to enjoy a bistecca alla fiorentina in Florence you will have to select a good restaurant, and expect that the meal will be expensive. But when you finally sit down to enjoy it, it's a rare moment of paradise. Succulent steak grilled to perfection and so tender you can cut it with a fork.
Some people say that the Chiana cattle are descendants of the cattle that can be seen in prehistoric cave paintings. The Etruscans and Romans worshiped these animals not only because of their meat, but also on account of their porcelain coloured white hide. These are the beautiful animals that were often shown in carnival processions and then sacrificed to the gods.
The success of the Florentine beefsteak is certainly all about the quality of the meat, but without a doubt, the cooking is also important. The Etruscans were already cooking T-bone steaks over charcoal in ancient times. It was called carbonate, or literally, carbon steak because they were broiled on charcoal.
But in 1565 during a feast in the Piazza San Lorenzo in Florence, a group of Englishmen spotted the large spit roasted beef and began chanting "beefsteak, beefsteak!" The name caught on and Florentines translated it into "bistecca." The meat is so tender that you only need to lay it on a charcoal grill for a few minutes. Cooked very rare, this steak can almost be eaten raw.
So loyal are the Florentine toward their beloved bistecche alla fiorentina, that the region rebelled when the meat was banned during the mad cow scare. The EU banned the sale of beef on the bone because it includes a piece of backbone, whose tissue is believed to harbour the agent that causes the brain-wasting disease. In the last few days before the ban was to come into effect, restaurants in Florence held huge farewell dinners to their beloved Bistecca alla Fiorentina.
During the ban funerals were held all over Tuscany. Women wore black, threw flowers and cried mock tears. Funeral processions followed caskets of large cuts of meat as they mourned the Florentine beefsteak - their culinary glory. The Tuscans declared that without the bone it is just meat, not heaven!
This temporary ban was lifted on the last day of 2001 and all Tuscans celebrated New Year's Eve with their beloved Bistecca alla Fiorentina.

Publication Date: 2002-11-17
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=2006