The very last day of our very last stage was all about meat. We went to a butcher who specializes in the typical cow of Tuscany, the Chianina. It is from this old breed in which we gorged ourselves the juicy-raw bistecca alla fiorentina. In Macelleria Ricci, the owner, Enrico taught us about the cow - which he raises his own cattle a few miles away.
The Chianina is the world's largest cattle.
Enrico doesn't recommend eating meat every day, maybe 2 or 3 times a week is enough. It is low in cholesterol and high in iron. Women should eat liver once a month though because it is high in Vitamin A.
There are many parts of the cow that could be eaten, but most people want to eat the cuts of meat that they know and are familiar with. It is possible to get 36 different cuts, each one must be branded with the name (which is also how it is possible to know if you are really eating a bistecca alla fiorentina in Tuscany or not...) There is a loss of about 50% when the animal is cut up.
From the butcher, to the farm...
The cows are considered to be free-range, but they only spend the first four months in the field and when they are pregnant.
Must be pregnant (above)....the cows move inside during the cold months to fatten up (below). I don't know if it's possible to trust a label - free range, grass-fed - without knowing exactly where the food comes from.
we were told that the cows are not friendly towards humans...
..but this one loved licking Asher's hand.
the cows are born brown and turn porcelain white with age. each of the cows are hand-picked for breeding perfection - depending on their colour, hair tufts, etc. They are part of summer's Palio in Siena where they represent freedom and purity.
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