the food of tuscany, umbria and le marche is simple but often hearty. packed with flavour, it is based on peasant cooking that relies heavily on olive oil, tomatoes, beans, hams and salamis.
meanwhile the traditional dishes in emilia-romagna tend to be more elaborate, using ingredients such as cream, interesting meats, including game, parma ham and mortadella, and excellent quality cheeses such as parmesan.
fresh fish and seafood is available along the coast, but is aften more expensive then meat.

· balsamic vinegar: from modena in emilia-romagna is renowned throughout the world. aged for up to seven years in oak barrels, the dark, smooth vinegar is used to flavour soups, stews and salad dressing.
· panzanella: a refreshing summer salad, is made of juicy tomatoes, onion, garlic and oil-soaked bread, garnished with fresh basil.
· tortelloni: a larger version of tortellini, may be stuffed with meat or cheese and several with a rich sauce.
· spaghetti al ragł: is a traditional dish from bologna. the pasta is topped with a generous portion of beef and tomato sauce.
· cannelloni: is another form of stuffed pasta. large pasta tubes may be filled with meat or cheese and spinach, and then coated with tomato or cheese sauce before being baked.
· baccalą: is a simple, flavourful dish a dried salt cod prepared with garlic and garnished with parsely. in tuscany, tomatoes are often added.
· bistecca alla fiorentina: grilled over an open fire, is a large, tender steak that can be seasoned with oil and herbs and garnished with fresh lemon.
· torta di limone: is one of the richer dessert that come from emilia-romagna. it is prepared with lemons and and fresh cream.
· torta di riso: is a traditional tuscan dessert consisting of rice cake served with a simple fruit sauce and seasonal fruit.
· cheeses: are used in many recipes, but may also be served with fruit as a main course or at the end of a meal.
· panforte: is a dense, dark cake spiced with cinnamon and cloves. ricciarelli are made from ground almonds, orange peel and honey.
· cantucci: are sweet tuscan biscuits often served together with vin santo, a traditional dessert wine.