The Typical Dishes of Pitigliano

The cuisine of Pitigliano uniquely tells the story of the encounter between the peasant traditions of the Tuscan Maremma and the long-standing Jewish community that lived for centuries in the village’s ghetto. The result is a rustic and genuine gastronomy, linked to local products – tufa rock, olive groves, vineyards, vegetables, and game – enriched by recipes and symbols of Jewish culture.

Among the first courses, stand out pici all’aglione, a local version of the classic Tuscan pici, served with a sauce of tomatoes, garlic, and sometimes chilli, and tortelli maremmani, often filled with ricotta and spinach or with potatoes and sausage. Soups and minestrone from the peasant tradition are also common, such as acqua cotta, prepared with seasonal vegetables, stale bread, oil, and eggs, typical of the entire tufa area.

Meat plays a central role: stewed wild boar, spezzatino (meat stew), roasts, and local cured meats accompany the area’s wines, particularly Bianco di Pitigliano DOC, a fresh and mineral white wine from vineyards on volcanic soil, one of the oldest DOCs in Italy (since 1966). Bianco di Pitigliano, in its base and Superiore versions, pairs perfectly with appetizers, fish, cheeses, and traditional Maremma dishes.

The symbolic dessert of Pitigliano is the Sfratto (or Sfratto dei Goym), an elongated stick-shaped biscuit filled with honey, walnuts, sugar, and spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. Created in the 17th century to commemorate the “eviction” order imposed by the Grand Duke of Tuscany on the Jews, forcing them to move into the ghetto, it is now protected as a Traditional Agri-Food Product and a Slow Food Presidium, symbolizing coexistence between the Jewish and Catholic communities. It is produced year-round but is especially linked to the Christmas season and Rosh Hashanah.

For guests staying at Casetta di Pitigliano, tasting these dishes means entering the heart of local history and culture, in the village’s restaurants and trattorias that serve ancient recipes passed down through generations.