While our region hosts a veritable treasure trove of art masterpieces and stunning vistas, a big chunk of its popularity abroad is linked to stuff you can eat and drink only in this neck of the woods. While it is true that to fully appreciate the amazing products of this land you would need to take things slowly, life doesn't always cooperate. What happens if you don't physically have enough time to fix a proper meal for yourself and your family? Are you doomed to yet another visit to an unhealthy foreign fast food? Don't you worry, my dear listener: Tuscany has plenty of ways to grab a bite on the go without breaking the bank. Few are as tasty, healthy and inexpensive as the street food that has conquered the hearts of many Tuscans for a few centuries. This very simple recipe was born completely by chance, some say after one of the most important events of the history of this land and hasn't looked back ever since. As we're a litigious bunch, Pisa and Leghorn keep on squabbling about who has the best recipe but it doesn't really matter much. If you know where to look, there are plenty of places where you can get this flat cake that, while exceedingly simple, is also very hard to master. That's why this week What's Up Tuscany will bring you to the Tyrrhenian coast to tell you the tale of the "cecina", the street food that has been popular under the Leaning Tower for at least seven centuries. Follow us in our journey into the fascinating story of this traditional comfort food, as we'll also tell you the original recipe that could allow you to bake a perfectly reasonable cake in your very own kitchen. We will find out if the variant served in Leghorn is better than the one in Pisa and if the sancta sanctorum of the "torta" is better than the traditional king of the "cecina", the famous Montino pizzeria. Word to the wise: lock your fridge when you listen to this episode - you might get very hungry. Let us know if you like this kind of episode or not. We would be very glad to have a chat.
Email: podcast@larno.it
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larno.it
Twitter: @arno_it / @WhatsupTuscany

LINKS TO SOURCES (ITALIAN ONLY)
https://ekiros.com/cecina/
https://www.gazzettadelgusto.it/prodotti/farinata-di-ceci-origini-e-storia/
https://www.cosmopolitan.com/it/lifestyle/cucina-ricette/a39956147/la-cecina-e-il-piatto-perfetto-per-aperitivi-sfiziosi-ecco-la-ricetta/
http://www.italianoegenuino.it/pisa-toscana-la-cecina/
https://theblackfig.com/2016/01/la-cecina-street-food-toscano-e-tradizione-culinaria.html
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farinata_di_ceci
https://www.tuscanypeople.com/5-e-5-antica-torteria-gagarin/
https://melamario.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/5-e-5-una-specialita-livornese/

BACKGROUND MUSIC
Pipe Choir - Bom Bom Breakthrough (Instrumental)
Pipe Choir - The Opening Closing (Instrumental)
Wayne John Bradley - Pick You Up (Instrumental)
Pipe Choir - Coffee and Time (Instrumental)
Wayne John Bradley - Blues Rock Original Instrumental
All released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pipe-choir-bom-bom-breakthrough-creative-commons-instrumental
https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/p-c-iii-the-opening-closinginstrumentalcreative-commons
https://soundcloud.com/ayneohnradley/pick-you-up-slow-poprock-style-instrumental-creative-commons
https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/p-c-iii-coffee-and-time-creative-commons-instrumental
https://soundcloud.com/ayneohnradley/blues-rock-original-instrumentalcreative-commons
http://www.pipechoir.com/