Now that the weather has decidedly turned for the worst, even the most obstinate summer lover has got to admit that autumn is upon us. This is a weird time in Tuscany, where almost everyone adores the sun and the beach. While we long to complain again for the excessive heat, nature offers us a lot of seasonal treats to get ready for the cold and dark evening of the year. Back in the day, when poverty reigned over vast tracts of this land, people were eager to exploit one of nature's best treats that were sitting on trees: the lovely chestnuts. As regular flour was expensive, people in the mountains learned how to turn them into flour and use them in many recipes. One of them was so successful that, at least for us Tuscans, has become inextricably linked with this time of the year. It's a simple cake, not too sweet and was so cheap that everyone could afford it. Now things are quite different but this amazing treat is still very popular around here and it comes in many different versions, enough to be one of Tuscany's most popular sweets. That's why this week, What's Up Tuscany will tell you everything there is to know about the amazing castagnaccio, the most genuine taste of a Tuscan fall.

If you listen to the full episode, you will learn about its curious history, how the recipe evolved with time, becoming more and more refined as it gained traction in the North of Italy and how it was almost forgotten during the economic boom of the 1950s. Now chestnuts have come back with a vengeance and people everywhere are rediscovering traditional recipes that use them. Chestnut flour sweets are almost ubiquitous in Tuscany but, if you look at Garfagnana and Lunigiana, they have gone above and beyond. Their "necci" are so good that they rival the famous Sicilian cannoli, with their incredible ricotta filling. In the last two chapters of the episode I will give you two options. If you haven't planned to come visit us in this period, I'll give you a step-by-step recipe that will allow you to bake an excellent castagnaccio to enjoy by the fireplace during the long winter evenings. If you're around here or plan to come to Tuscany before March, I'll give you a list of six places around our region where you will be able to find an amazing castagnaccio. Whatever your choice, this simple cake is really incredible. For us Tuscans it's almost impossible to think about autumn without craving a slice of this great cake. If you taste it just once, I'm sure you will agree.
Email: podcast@larno.it
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Twitter: @arno_it / @WhatsupTuscany

LINKS TO SOURCES (ITALIAN ONLY)
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castagnaccio
https://www.ciaotoscana.it/cucina-toscana/castagnaccio-la-ricetta-originale-toscana/
https://www.visittuscany.com/it/ricette/La-Torta-di-Neccio-o-Castagnaccio-di-Stazzema/
https://www.lacucinaitaliana.it/gallery/castagnaccio-toscana-dove-mangiarlo-buono/
https://www.discovertuscany.com/it/mangiare-e-bere-in-toscana/le-castagne-in-toscana.html

BACKGROUND MUSIC
Pipe Choir - Bom Bom Breakthrough (Instrumental)
Wayne John Bradley - Summercycle (Instrumental)
Erio - Monolith
Cityfires - Blood Problems (Instrumental)
Incompetech - Leopard Print Elevator
Wayne John Bradley - Blues Rock Original Instrumental
All released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pipe-choir-bom-bom-breakthrough-creative-commons-instrumental
https://soundcloud.com/ayneohnradley/summercycle-original-indie-style-instrumental-creative-commons
https://soundcloud.com/argofox/erio-monolith
https://soundcloud.com/ljayofficial/blood-problems-instrumentalby-cityfires
https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1500077
https://soundcloud.com/ayneohnradley/blues-rock-original-instrumentalcreative-commons
http://www.pipechoir.com/