Pappa al pomodoro is a thick Tuscan bread soup of stale unsalted bread, tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and basil, served hot, at room temperature or chilled.

Pappa al pomodoro began with Tuscan tenant farmers who made a meagre supply of tomatoes go further with stale bread, the only kind available in rural areas where the communal oven was lit once a week. A rule held as Tuscan tradition is that no cheese goes in or on it. The dish became known outside Tuscany through Vamba's serial Il giornalino di Gian Burrasca (1907-08), where the young hero shouts 'long live pappa al pomodoro' in protest at the bland soups of his boarding school. Rita Pavone sang 'Viva la pappa col pomodoro' in the 1960s television adaptation.

Where to eat Pappa al pomodoro in Florence

4 editor picks for Pappa al pomodoro in Florence, ranked by editorial score. All Florence signature dishes · Pappa al pomodoro across every city.

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Make it at home

Serves 41 hrEasy

Ingredients

  • 500g ripe San Marzano tomatoes, peeled and crushed
  • 300g stale Tuscan unsalted bread, torn into chunks
  • 4 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 bunch fresh basil
  • 750ml vegetable stock or water
  • 100ml Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
  • Sea salt, black pepper

Method

  1. In a heavy pan, warm olive oil and add garlic. Cook 2 minutes until fragrant, not coloured.
  2. Add the crushed tomatoes, half the basil, salt and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes.
  3. Add the torn bread and stock. Stir to combine; simmer gently 30 minutes.
  4. Mash the bread into the tomato with a wooden spoon as it cooks; the texture is dense porridge.
  5. Off heat, stir in the remaining basil torn by hand.
  6. Let stand 10 minutes covered.
  7. Serve warm or at room temperature, finished with a generous pour of olive oil and black pepper.
  8. Never with Parmigiano; pappa al pomodoro stands alone.

Editor tip. Use stale, unsalted Tuscan bread and leave the cheese off: tradition holds that none goes in or on pappa al pomodoro.

Common allergens: Gluten.