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What to eat in the Province of Siena? Top 10 Traditional Foods in the Province of Siena

Last update: Sun Feb 16 2025
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01

Pasta

PROVINCE OF SIENA, Italy
4.3
Paglia e fieno
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Paglia e fieno is a traditional dish originating from Siena. The name of the dish means straw and hay, referring to the green (spinach) pasta noodles as hay and the yellow (egg) pasta noodles as straw. It's best if the spinach and egg pasta is of the tagliatelle or taglierini (tajarin) varieties, combined with onions, prosciutto, peas, olive oil, and heavy cream.


The pasta is tossed with the other ingredients, and the dish is usually finished with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, ground pepper, and chopped parsley.

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02

Dumplings

PROVINCE OF SIENA, Italy and  one more region
3.8
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Malfatti (Siena) or gnudi (lit. naked, Florence) are typical of Sienese cuisine, but it's believed that they probably originated in Northern Italy. These spinach gnocchi are made by hand, and due to the fact that they are not uniform in shape or size, they're called malfatti, meaning badly made.


They are made with a combination of cooked spinach, a pinch of salt, butter, ricotta, eggs, nutmeg, parmesan cheese, and a binding agent such as flour, semolina, or breadcrumbs. Once the mixture becomes smooth, it's shaped into small balls that are rolled in flour before being boiled. 

MOST ICONIC Malfatti

03
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A typical dessert of Sienese cuisine, ricciarelli di Siena are soft almond biscuits whose origins date back to the 14th century. According to a popular legend, they were named after a Sienese nobleman Ricciardetto Della Gherardesca, who brought similar lozenge-shaped Arab sweets to Siena upon his return from the Crusades.


Back then, these cookies were also known as marzapanetti alla Senese or morzelletti, and they were reserved for the lavish banquets and feasts of Tuscan royalty, since almond paste or marzipan was a precious and expensive ingredient sold only in Renaissance apothecaries along with the most exotic spices of the time. 

MOST ICONIC Ricciarelli di Siena

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04
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Panforte di Siena is a traditional dessert also known as Siena cake. The modern panforte variety is made with nuts, dried fruit, and a generous amount of spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. All of the ingredients are combined with a sugary syrup, usually made with butter, sugar, and honey, and the cake is generously dusted with powdered sugar.


This mixture of ingredients forms an unusual and dense cake with a firm structure and an interesting flavor combination. Believed to have originated in the 13th century in Siena, a city in central Tuscany, it has become an indispensable part of traditional Italian confectionery production. 

MOST ICONIC Panforte di Siena

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05

Cookie

SIENA, Italy
3.1
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These traditional Italian Christmas cookies were originally invented in Siena. They have a soft texture and consist of flour, nuts, candied fruit, and various spices. Originally, cavallucci were prepared without nuts or candied fruit – only flour, sugar, honey, and anise seeds were used.


The name is believed to be a derivation of the word cavallo, meaning horse – this is either a reference to their shape, which is reminiscent to a horse hoof, or because they were imprinted with a tiny horse on top in the past.

MOST ICONIC Cavallucci

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06
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Pecorino di Pienza is a traditional variety of Pecorino produced in Pienza in the province of Siena. The cheese is made from sheep's milk and comes in a few versions – some are young, some covered in straw, some rubbed with ash, and some are pressed with tomatoes.


The young version is semi-ripened and colored with tomato juice on the rind, while the aged version has a black rind. The cheese is not spicy as other Pecorino types because veal rennet is used instead of kid goat rennet. Pecorino di Pienta is aged for 30 days, when it's still fresh and soft, ideal for melting of grilling, while the other versions are aged from 2 to 5 months. 
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07
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Pici alle briciole is a simple Tuscan dish originating from the area around Siena. It's a typical example of la cucina povera, made with common ingredients such as garlic, olive oil, hot red peppers, day-old Tuscan bread, and handmade pici pasta.


The pici pasta is made with flour and water, and each noodle is rolled by hand, with the final result looking similar to spaghetti, but wider and more robust. The absence of eggs in the pasta is a sign of its poor origin. The pici pasta is combined with the sauce consisting of breadcrumbs, garlic, olive oil, and dried hot pepper. 
08
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Penne alla fiesolana is a traditional dish hailing from Fiesole in Tuscany. The dish is made with a combination of penne pasta, olive oil, prosciutto crudo, onions, milk, flour, peas, and butter. The ingredients are cooked together and enriched with a simple béchamel sauce.


The pasta water should be added to the pot because the starches from the water allow the sauce to thicken up. Once done, the dish is usually garnished with chopped parsley, dusted with ground black pepper, or topped with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.


Interestingly, penne alla fiesolana was a popular dish among the late 19th-century peasants, and it was typically prepared during the holidays.

09

Snack

PROVINCE OF SIENA, Italy
n/a
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Acciughe sotto pesto is a traditional dish hailing from Siena. It's made with salted anchovies, parsley, garlic, chili peppers, and extra-virgin olive oil. The anchovies are rinsed in vinegar, then laid next to one another in a deep dish. They're topped with a mixture of garlic, parsley, and chili, with an additional generous drizzle of olive oil.


When completely covered in olive oil, the dish is left to rest for about 12 hours. Later on, the anchovies can be served on their own as a simple snack or on toasted bread. In Siena, it can be found everywhere, not only in restaurants, but also in bars and grocery shops.

10

Cookie

SIENA, Italy
n/a
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Berriquocoli are traditional rustic cookies from Siena, made with sugar, flour, honey, leavening agents, candied fruits, walnuts, and spices. They are similar to the more famous cavallucci, but are bigger in size and richer in taste, thanks to the addition of walnuts and candied cedar - that is why they are sometimes called cavallucci dei signori (lit. cavallucci of the lords).


It is believed that the name of these cookies is derived from the word bericoccola, denoting a type of apricot, referring to similarities between the two regarding their size.

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.