Waking up from Siesta ...

This Italian / Tuscan lifestyle really fit us to a t. Coffee, breakfast, big lunch, siesta, afternoon nibbles, dinner, sleep - rinse and repeat. Every afternoon while we were in Italy, once we emerged from our afternoon nap and rubbed our eyes, the next thing of importance to do was to find a drink - either a glass of wine or a campari aperitif. Then we would round up a few nibbles with stuff we just had lying around the place .... for instance, ndjua - the delicious soft, spicy pork salami, the below mentioned buffalo cheese with white truffle honey, a chunk of Dario's salami, cured pig's cheek and a chunk of tallegio cheese. All with some crusty Tuscan bread and a bottle of fine Toscana.



Life is indeed good.

Antica Macelleria Falorni

The Antica Macelleria Falorni was founded in 1729 by Gio Botta. The place still stands pround in the main piazza of Greve in Chianti. The butcher-cum salami / cheese shop is still run by the 8th generation of Gio's descendants.



The finest Tuscan meats are used including Chianina for beef, Cinta Senese for pork and wild boars that have been present in the Chianti forests for centuries. A variety of Chianti herbs and spices are also essential ingredients; fresh fennell, laurus, juniper, garlic, parsley, sage, rosemary and even some Chianti wine.



Upon walking inside this gracious butcher, that spans 4 shop fronts in the piazza, there is no other way to describe it then a meat lovers wonderland. Kim and I wander around in awe, and managed to get lost in here for at least an hour (and that was only our first visit!) First we wander into the cheese room, which goes down into the basement, where various cheeses have notes and times on them, for when they're ripe and ready (if anyone could wait that long!)



Then there were blocks of pancetta, some covered in chilli flakes.



And the salami, oh the salami !! Salami made with Chianti Classico red wine ....



Little chingale - Wild boar - salami's.



And then the Il Ghianda, an acorn fed leg of prosciutto from Greve.



After at least an hour spent in the woderland that was salami, meat & cheese, we head next door ....



Still a part of the same shop, this room was full of Tuscan wines - and most of them were available for tasting. They use the fancy enoMatic system, where a card is brought with credit and then used to by tastings of various wines in different sizes. We start with a 10Euro card .......



and make our way through a whole range of fantastic wines.



Each tasting is offered in 3 sizes, and start at just 30cents. With tastings of delights from next door including cheese, truffle salami and fennel sausage, you can understand another while was spent here ......

Before we loaded ourselves with goodies and headed off with our bread, olive oil and market treats for an afternoon in the sun.



Antica Macelleria Falorni
Piazza Giacomo Matteotti, 71
50022 Greve in Chianti, Firenze, Toscana, Italia

T: +39 055 853029 F: +39 055 8544312 E: negozio@falorni.it

Tasty Hokkaido Goodies

Last year it was indeed a, some might say envious, task trying and evaluating over 100 Hokkaido cheeses. Some are very so-so, but there are others out there which are world class. A particular favorite find would have to be the Shin Sapporo blue cheese.



It is made just outside of Sapporo, and is rich and creamy with a great blue flavor. It reminds me of a French St. Agur. It has a fair surface mould which covers the creamy inside pate that is flecked with blue mould.



We're enjoying that with some crusty bread and local butter. mmmmmm



Not to mention the giant plate of Hokkaido meats we're sampling tonight, all in the name of research, or course. Including pork salami, venison salami, soft boerwurs, Sekka's dried cherry tomatoes and pickled cherries.



Another great day in the office !!