Like the whole Tuscan cuisine, the Chianti cuisine is made of simple and genuine dishes tightly linked to the territory and to the cycle of the seasons. Traditional dishes are made with fresh ingredients and perfectly match with a good glass of Chianti. Their flavour is usually enhanced with some drops of extra-virgin olive oil, but they will acquire a very special taste if you eat them in a farmhouse in the Chianti region.

Bread is baked in wood-burning ovens. A toasted slice with some lately-produced olive oil is a great snack. It is so good that you will want some more. According to the season, you can use leftover bread to prepare panzanella (a bread and tomato salad), bread soup, ribollita (a bread and vegetable soup) and the famous pappa al pomodoro (tomato soup): four simple dishes prepared with "poor" ingredients that at present you can find in the menus of the best Tuscan restaurants.

From beef to pork to Sienese cinta (a rare-breed pig native to the province of Siena), Chianti meats are among the best in the world. Game is always present in a typical Tuscan menu. Not to speak of ham, salami, finocchiona and the like! The inns and holiday farms in the Chianti region offer a wide selection of them, the perfect ingredients for a snack or a whole meal.

If you want to finish your meal with a dessert, you can try a slice of tart or of ring-shaped cake, or the famous "cantuccini" (hard almond biscuits) with a glass of Vinsanto.