The cold Tuscan bread salad of stale unsalted bread soaked in tomato water, tossed with ripe tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and basil, dressed with red-wine vinegar and Tuscan olive oil.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
Panzanella traces to the Tuscan peasant kitchen of the 14th century, when bread was the main calorie and never wasted; the writer Bronzino described an onion-bread salad in his 1554 'Cipolla' poem. The tomato did not enter the dish until the late 19th century, by which point the canonical mix (bread, tomato, onion, cucumber, basil) had settled. Pellegrino Artusi codified the modern recipe in his 1891 'La scienza in cucina'.
Common allergens: Gluten
Tip from the editors. Tuscan bread is unsalted; salted bread breaks down too fast. Pane sciapo from a Tuscan forno is correct.
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.
Why locals love it: Family-run cucina povera since 1963 just off Piazza Santo Spirito; ribollita and trippa for €10 a course, no concession to the centre's tourist circuit.
Tip: Closed Sunday; cash only. Lunch is calmer; dinner books up a week ahead.
Cibreo Trattoria in Florence's Sant'Ambrogio quarter is Fabio Picchi's no-pasta trattoria, the casual side of the Cibreo group. The polpettine and the pappa al pomodoro run the menu since 1989.
Signature: Trippa alla fiorentina, Pappa al pomodoro, Polpettine di pollo
Order: Polpettine di pollo, pappa al pomodoro and the trippa alla fiorentina.
Tip: No reservations and no pasta on the menu. Queue from 19:45 for the 20:00 first seating; lunch is the calmer service.
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.
Why locals love it: Bus 35 to a 1901 trattoria the working quarter still treats as its own; Friday-night bistecca dinner is the seating locals book three weeks ahead.
Tip: Lunch Mon-Sat; dinner Friday only. Book three weeks ahead for Friday.
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