Fiorentina Guide

The Florentine steak (called Bistecca alla Fiorentina or simply La Bistecca) is a severe matter of Florence; Tuscan cuisine has plenty of delicious dishes, but if you must choose only one of them, as your last meal, you better opt for La Bistecca!

The De’ Medici’s family rules the city with a firm hand and bright intuition; the banking system, invented and managed by this great Florentine family, brings into the city Lords and rich merchants from all over Europe. Right here history and legend intertwine together; a group of British aristocratic, attracted by the pantagruelian feast set up between the fires of San Lorenzo, sits next to the populace and bite the slices of this incredibly juicy meat: ”Beefsteak! Beefsteak!” scream the hungry nobles still asking for more of this divine food. From this hungry cry "beef steak!" was born the Italianate term of the most famous Tuscan dish in the world: the Bistecca.

The Florentine Steak is a cut of meat made from the part of the loin near the leg of the Scottona (young female bovine that has never gotten pregnant, aged 15/16 months). The cut of the Florentine steak must include a Porterhouse cut between the sirloin and the tenderloin; otherwise, it will be called ‘Costata’ (the only Sirloin with bone), and it is derived exclusively from the part of the loin near the shoulder.

The meat is tender and tasty, so it must be well marbled, for this reason, the cattle must have the characteristics of the Scottona. Even the hanging has a vital role to ensure the flavor and softness; the whole loin must be hanged for a time varying between 15 and 21 days before cutting. The cutting of Florentine Steak in Tuscany is an ancient art; the minimum thickness for a Florentine Steak worthy of its name is of 1.5 inches, but the perfect cut is not less than 2/2.5 inches.