ARK OF TASTE
In keeping with Slow Food's commitment to biodiversity, preservation of endangered cuisine and the cultures that they represent, Slow Food established a symbolic “Ark of Taste (ark”as in “Noah's) “into”which endangered food and agricultural products –and especially almost forgotten “flavors”can be “placed.”Such a process is akin to an animal or bird being listed on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “Endangered Species List”in that simply by declaring a plant or animal as “endangered” sets in motion a conscious effort to find ways to preserve the species.

In this case, the aim of the Slow Food Ark of Taste is to rediscover, catalogue, describe and promote these almost forgotten flavors, including certain recipes and cooking techniques that are in danger of slipping away. So it is appropriate for the “Ancient Tastes”event to showcase many of these foods. But in order for these foods and flavors to not only be preserved, but to be accessible to the public, Slow Food developed initiatives known as The Presidia – from the Latin meaning “to protect” or “garrison”which are economic support entities (consortia of farmers, trade groups, marketing organizations) that create sustainable futures for the special foods, animals and precious flavors in all parts of the world.

Appetizer
My first dinner at Antichi Sapori is all based on dishes some age old –of the traditional Tuscan farm and many of them are foods that have been symbolically “taken into”The Ark and now have “Presidia” enterprises to support them. The meal starts with a delicious Antipasti of Pecorino Cheese with Honey and a Vegetable Frittatini. Pecorino Cheeses from the mountains of Pistoia are special in that they must be made only from raw un-pasteurized sheep milk by family farmers with 100 year old methods. The sheep are of a certain breed –the Massese –which have dark spiraling horns and black fleece. Cheeses each seem to have their “soul mates”of certain foods and wines, and Pecorino's soul mate is Castagna (Chestnut) Honey, which has a strong bitter-sweet flavor that is killer with the “Abbucciato”(firm but not dried) Pecorino. The Tuscan Frittatini (little Frittata) or small omelet that is typically served cold is in this case spiked with chunks of potatoes and green vegetables. Matched with the Pecorino and Castagna Honey, it provides a delicious combination of flavors that whets the appetite for the next course.

The Primi Piatti
(First Course) is a delicious Pappardelle (fresh homemade wide pasta) with ragu that is generously endowed with succulent Rabbit. Actually, the traditional Tuscan table features very little pasta, with the exception of Pappardelle. But rather the famous Tuscan bread is what is used in a myriad of dishes… especially if it is a bit stale! Tuscan cuisine has been best described as a “Bread Based Cuisine.”So our next dish is a deeply flavored typical old Tuscan delicacy, Ribollita – or reheated Tuscan bread soup. Ribollita means re-boiled and it is really Minestra di Pane (Bread Soup) that has aged a day or so and is reheated after the flavors have had a chance to sink in and marry. The soup is typically made with black leaf kale, pre-soaked white beans, onion, carrot, celery and parsley, olive oil, a bit of tomato paste, shredded beet greens, potatoes, seasoning of salt, pepper and fresh thyme, and thinly sliced day old Tuscan bread. After cooking the vegetables, place the bread in layers in a terracotta oven-ready pot and cover each layer with the vegetable soup and olive oil.

Over dinner, I am briefed on the role of Slow Food in the current festivities, and prepared for the coming days when we will learn how to prepare nearly lost dishes and taste the products of some of the more than 25 Tuscan Presidia.

Secondi Piatti
(The Main Course) is served with great excitement because the aromas of the Pollo e Coniglio in Umido, (Rabbit and Chicken Stew,) which has been cooking for the last hour, wafted through the room enticing us. The traditional Tuscan kitchen is blessed with the bounty of its global traders, including a myriad of seasonings. According to the writer/historian Marco Lolli, many of the once common wonderful fragrances that came from the Tuscan kitchen have “almost disappeared.” The Antichi Sapori event reintroduces many of the spices and seasonings including pepolino (thyme), persia (sweet marjoram), nepitella (calamint), menta (mint), salvia (sage), ramerino (rosemary), and parsley. Also used are Finocchio (fennel) seeds, chiogi di garofano (cloves), canella (cinnamon), and most dishes are well peppered. Peperoncino (red chili pepper), cipolla (onion), scalogno (shallot), porro (leek) and zenzero (ginger) are part of the mix as well, but the main aromatic is, not surprisingly, aglio (garlic).

The Stew is served with a side dish of White Beans with Olive Oil and Salad. Tuscan cuisine will find many traditional dishes made with the nutty flavored Cannellini White Bean, which is said to have originated in Argentina. These old farm recipes, are amongst Italy's most hardy and tasty dishes.

For dessert we have Cenci pastries – literally “rags,”these light fried pastries are especially tasty when dipped in 5 year old Vin Santo Dessert Wine. The light pastries are made with flour, sugar, egg, bicarbonate of soda, vin santo and flavored with aniseed, vanilla and orange skin zest and dusted after frying with confectioners sugar.

Luckily I am able to get into a sold-out workshop on the preparation of a rare Tuscan delicacy –Roventino. Although it sounds as if this dish should be from the murky forests of Count Dracula's Transylvania, this fried pig blood frittatine dates back to the Florentine middle-ages and is quite delicious. The workshop, attended by Slow Food aficionados, is about to start when I enter the community center kitchen. We learn that this nutritious dish is in danger of becoming extinct because the Art of Butchering in the old way is being lost.

It is now virtually illegal in Italy to have a small local butcher shop that can slaughter as well as cut fresh meat. Roventino requires fresh blood, which is impossible to purchase, so the only chance to taste is if you happen upon a farm-raised pig at slaughter time… and the farmer is willing to share the treasure. The workshop moves into the kitchen where the tradition is passed on from the farmers and chefs to us. We learn how to prepare and cook this unique dish.

Preparation of Roventino
Into a liter (in our case, a big pot, so everything was proportionate) of fresh pig blood, whisk in two tablespoons of plain white flour that has been dissolved in vegetable broth, and a couple of pinches of salt, pepper, minced garlic, grated lemon peel, fresh rosemary and a pinch of ground nutmeg.

Procedure:
Into a small red hot frying pan put some lard, melt on a high flame. Then put a small ladleful of blood into the pan and LEAVE IT until the surface bubbles and slightly blackens. Then the fun part! Each “frittatine” (almost the consistency of a pancake) must be individually flipped! This takes some practice, so expect to miss the pan a few times. I am lucky and my first try turns out pretty good!

After cooking the other side for a minute or two, slide the Roventino onto a plate, sprinkle with parmigiano reggiano or aged hard Pecorino cheese and serve HOT. This tasty, hard to find, winter dish gives new meaning to the Tuscan phrase ““We use every part of the pig but the squeal!"

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