The dry-aged Chianina T-bone, grilled over wood fire to a charred crust outside and blood-rare inside, seasoned only with salt and olive oil. The defining Florentine dinner since at least the 16th-century Medici banquets.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
The bistecca traces to the August 10 feast of San Lorenzo in Renaissance Florence, when oxen were spit-roasted on bonfires across the city for the public. English merchants in 16th-century Florence brought the word 'beefsteak' into Italian as 'bistecca'. The Chianina cattle, native to the Val di Chiana since Etruscan times, became the canonical breed. The Disciplinare della Bistecca alla Fiorentina from the Accademia Italiana della Cucina sets the standard: a T-bone 5cm thick minimum, dry-aged 21 days, grilled hot over charcoal or wood, never above 5 minutes per side, never sauced.
Tip from the editors. Internal target is 50C, blood-rare. Never order a Florentine bistecca well-done; a Florentine kitchen will refuse.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Trattoria Sostanza in Florence's Santa Maria Novella quarter has cooked the same bistecca and butter chicken on a coal grill since 1869. Two seatings, one menu, six communal tables.
Signature: Bistecca alla fiorentina, Pollo al burro, Tortino di carciofi
Order: The bistecca alla fiorentina (1.2kg for two) and the pollo al burro butter chicken.
Tip: Cash only; book three weeks ahead by phone. Two seatings at 19:30 and 21:30.
Buca Lapi in Florence's Santa Maria Novella has cooked the bistecca alla fiorentina in the Palazzo Antinori cellar since 1880, a candlelit basement of long communal tables and dry-aged Chianina.
Signature: Bistecca alla fiorentina, Tagliatelle al tartufo, Crostini di fegatini
Order: The bistecca alla fiorentina (1.2kg for two) and the tartufo pasta in season.
Tip: Cash and card; book three weeks ahead. The cellar is hot in summer; ask for the front room.
Trattoria Mario in Florence's San Lorenzo has run the working-class lunch counter since 1953 next to Mercato Centrale, with a daily pasta carte at €8 a primo and a glass of house red for €3.
Try: Lunch trattoria pasta and meat
Order: Ribollita, pappardelle al cinghiale, a glass of house Chianti for €3.
Tip: Queue from 12:00; lunch-only Mon-Sat. Cash only. Closed all of August.
Regina Bistecca in Florence's Centro Storico is the dedicated bistecca house behind the Duomo, with Chianina dry-aged in glass cabinets and a wood-fired grill in full view of the dining room.
Signature: Bistecca alla fiorentina, Tartare di Chianina, Tagliata
Order: The 1kg bistecca alla fiorentina for two and the Chianina tartare to start.
Tip: Book a window seat over Via Ricasoli a fortnight ahead. Closed Tuesday.
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