Every city worth eating in has a signature street food snack. In Florence it’s stewed tripe on a Tuscan bun with a little sauce. Mmmm. Tripe sandwich.

Deep fried squash blossoms from Buca Mario in Florence. Where can I find these in London?

So I watch/read a lot of Anthony Bourdain, so he is a big influence on where I want to travel and what I want to eat when I get there. On his show about Tuscany, he went visit a lardo maker and I was immediately curious. Basically, lardo is pig fat (just the fat and nothing else) cured with rosemary and other spices. It’s bacon without the meat part. Amazing right?

Of course lardo was on my list of things to eat when I went back to Florence this past summer. So I had sliced lardo from Colonnata, the place where lardo has been made since Roman times apparently.

It was really good. Not so good that I would risk a coronary to have it every day, but good enough for me to have on my once a year trips to Italy.

The first time I saw burrata was on a Jamie Oliver show. I subsequently spent my first trip to Florence in 2005 dragging my poor friend all around the city looking for it. When I finally found it, I was in heaven. Every time I see it on a menu, I order it.

For those of you who don’t know burrata is a fresh Italian cheese from the mozzarella family. The outside of the cheese is classic buffalo mozzarella and the inside is a combination of cream and mozzarella.

This past summer in Florence, I had a tomato and burrata salad that by far was the best way you can ever have burrata prepared. While I do not remember the actual name of the place, I do know it was a wine bar that is directly across from the Pitti Palace. I can find it when I go back.

This is the only way to eat burrata.

If you are a meat lover, one of the best meat related experiences you’ll ever have is eating a Bistecca alla Fiorentina in Florence, Italy.

From Wikipedia:

A favorite of Tuscan cuisine, bistecca alla fiorentina ‘beefsteak Florentine style’ consists of a T-bone or porterhouse steak (traditionally taken from either the Chianina or Maremmana breeds of cattle), grilled over a wood or charcoal fire, and seasoned with salt and, sometimes, black pepper, and olive oil. Thickly cut and very large, steaks are often shared between two or more persons.

It truly is a very unadulterated way to enjoy a piece of meat and I love that it’s communal. When I am in Florence, I always go to Buca Mario for bistecca alla fiorentina. All you need to accompany it is a bottle of Chianti, fried squash blossoms and white cannellini beans with tomato and sage.