All About Umbrian Cuisine: 23 Best Foods to Eat in Central Italy

Smack dab in central Italy, the regions of Umbria and Tuscany—home to Florence, Siena, Perugia, and Assisi—aren’t just beautiful, but boast delicious food, too! Tuscan dishes may be slightly more well-known, but Umbrian cuisine is also divine.

The cuisine of central Italy is known for being simple, seasonal, and hearty, featuring locally-raised game meats, delicious wines, and olive oils, as well as produce like truffles and wild asparagus.

There’s also the tradition of cucina povera, where locals made sure not to let anything—including any part of an animal—go to waste.

23 can’t-miss foods in Umbria (and Tuscany)

Truffles in Tuscany, Italy

Tartufo

We know “tartufi” as truffles. Found in the wild, these fragrant, earthy mushrooms Umbria’s great (and expensive!) delicacy. Look for them on everything from tagliolini (a thin pasta) to crostini to stuffing, but remember, like every other kind of produce, tartufi go by seasons. Black truffles grow in the wild from October to March; white truffles, October to December. That means that’s the only time of the year you can find them fresh!

Ribollita

A thick, hearty vegetable stew, ribollita has its origins in Tuscany’s cucina povera.

Pappa al pomodoro

A Florentine soup with its origins in “cucina povera” (“poor cuisine”), this is a stew of tomatos and (preferably day-old) bread.

Ribollita in Florence, Tuscany

Crostini alla norcini

Crostini are popular in Umbria, little toasted bits of bread topped with various spreads, like crostini al tartufo (with black truffles) or chicken liver crostini (with capers and lemon). Our favorite, crostini alla norcina, is made with a blend of anchovies, truffles, and chicken liver.

Panzanella

Panzanella is a salad of tomatoes soaked in day-old bread. (It must be hearty, unsalted country bread!). Curiously, this salad was originally onion-based, not tomato-based!

Porchetta

Pork carved right off a stuffed, herbed young pig, porchetta is an Umbrian delicacy. You’ll see this around lunchtime, served on thick rolls as a sandwich, or at dinner, as an option for an antipasto.

Porchetta can’t be missed in Umbria. Photo credit: Pedro Angelini

Norcino

This word has come to apply to a variety of cured meats, including boar sausages and prosciutto, with one condition: They’re cured in the special, time-tested way that originates in Norcia (hence “norcino”), an Umbrian town famous for its wild boar and other local game.

Lentil soup

A classic Umbrian dish, lentil soup not only features legumes but also bits of local sausage. This hearty soup is often flavored with rosemary, garlic and basil, and with carrots and potatoes included, too.

Pappardelle con la lepre

Broad ribbons of pasta, served with a meaty sauce of hare, bacon and cloves. A specialty of both Umbria and Tuscany.

Tagliatelle or fettuccine with ragu

You can’t leave central Italy without trying at least one of its ragu variations. It’s nothing like what you find in the States; with little to no tomato, it’s made from simmering down minced veal or pork (or both) along with carrots, onions, celery, and lots of spices, maybe even some tartufi!

Umbrian and Tuscan ragu, are a culinary specialty.

Gnocchi ignudi

A Florentine gnocchi made of spinach, eggs and ricotta in a flour dumpling.

Triglie alla livornese

From Livorno (“alla livornese”), this is red mullet cooked in garlic, tomatoes, onions, and parsley.

Cieche alla pisana

Feeling adventurous? Then go for these baby eels, quickly sauteed with eggs and served with parmesan. Originally from Pisa, this dish is common in Umbria too.

Cinghiale

Wild boar, hunted in both Umbria and Tuscany, is often eaten over pasta as a sauce or as its own secondo. Gamey and delicious.

Bistecca alla fiorentina

A T-bone steak grilled on a wood fire, done nowhere else quite like it is in Florence!

Florentine T-bone steak, a particular dish of Florence

Pollo alla diavola

Pollo alla diavola is flattened chicken, flavored with herbs. While it sounds simple, it is incredibly delicious.

Cacciucco del Casentino

Also called cacciucco di terra or di carne, this dish – from Casentino – dates back to the Middle Ages, if not earlier. Mixed meats, including everything from veal to rabbit to pigeon, are cooked in a broth of red wine, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, basil, parsley, and lemon… and served, of course, with thick Tuscan bread.

Gallina ubriaca

This literally means “drunken hen” — and that’s what it is! Popular in the area around Orvieto, the secret of this dish is soaking a chicken in lots of good Orvieto wine.

Arista

Roast pork loin with rosemary and garlic, arista is a specialty of Florence.

Panpepato

Panpepato is a heavy gingerbread cake with nuts, raisins, honey, dark chocolate, and candied fruit. This Christmastime tradition is popular across central Italy.

Panforte

Another popular Christmas cake with candied fruit and peels, this one flat and dense. A particular specialty of Siena.

Enjoy your panforte with an espresso. Photo credit: jules

Castagnaccio

A dense cake made out of chestnut flour, found in Tuscany and Umbria.

Fichi Girotti

The Umbrian town of Amelia has been famous for its figs since ancient times. In the 19th century, a nationalist commander named Antonio Girotti started filling the figs with toasted almonds, candied fruits and cocoa, and pressing them into wheel shapes. These sweet candies are still popular today.

Finally, the backbone of so much of Tuscan cuisine… is olive oil! Don’t miss our fun video on making olive oil in Tuscany, below.

Want to know where to go in Tuscany? Here’s our list of the top ten Tuscan towns!