Bistecca alla Fiorentina
Bistecca alla Fiorentina is closely tied to the Chianina, one of the oldest cattle breeds in the world, raised in Tuscany's Val di Chiana since Roman times and famously large and pale-coated. Some food historians trace the dish's name to English merchants and pilgrims in Renaissance Florence, who reportedly asked for 'beef steak' at feast-day grills, a phrase locals adapted into 'bistecca.' Florentine tradition insists on strict rules that still hold today: the cut must include both the fillet and the sirloin on either side of the T-shaped bone, it must be grilled over wood or charcoal embers, and it must be served rare, never any further, since a true Fiorentina overcooked is considered ruined. The dish remains a fixture of Tuscan trattorias, usually sold by weight given the steak's substantial size, often exceeding a kilogram for a single cut.
Chianina beef, a protected breed
Traditional Fiorentina uses meat from the ancient white Chianina cattle, prized for its lean but deeply flavorful muscle.
Grilled over embers, always rare
The steak is cooked over hot charcoal embers and served rare at the bone, seared outside and cool red inside.
Salted only after searing
Salt is added only after the crust forms, never before, so it doesn't draw out the meat's juices too early.
Sold and priced by weight
A true Fiorentina is a massive T-bone cut at least four centimeters thick, traditionally weighed and priced on the bone.
Ingredients 4 servings
- 1 T-bone steak (Chianina beef, if possible), about 1.2kg and 5–6cm thick
- Coarse sea salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil, for finishing
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, for the embers
- 1 clove garlic, unpeeled (optional, for rubbing the grill)
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving
- Cannellini beans dressed with olive oil, for serving
- A simple green salad, for serving
How to make it
- 1Take the steak out of the refrigerator at least an hour before cooking so it comes fully to room temperature.
- 2Prepare a bed of hot charcoal embers, or heat a heavy grill pan until it is smoking hot.
- 3Pat the steak dry and place it on the grill without any salt, pepper, or oil on the surface.
- 4Sear it for about five minutes per side, standing it briefly on the bone to render the fat along the edge.
- 5Move the steak to a slightly cooler part of the grill and let it finish for a few more minutes, keeping the center rare.
- 6Transfer the steak to a board, season generously with coarse salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.
- 7Let it rest for five minutes before slicing the meat away from the bone and serving immediately.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
