The cucina toscana is dominated by bread and oil.
Bread appears in every course, from appetizer to dessert, even as a snack.
Bread is also enriched with egg yolks and orange rind and dusted with a heavy layer of powdered sugar, for a carnival dessert. Unsalted country loaves are paired with companatico, defined as anything that's eaten with bread, from prosciutto to preserves. Bread is sliced into thick slabs, grilled, rubbed with garlic, and dipped into extra virgin olive oil, or skewered between pieces of sausage and pork liver punctuated with bay leaves. Ribollita and pappa, hearty country soups, are thickened with stale bread. The flavor of this special oil is felt throughout the cucina toscana.