They have placid, wide open eyes. The white coat of the Chianina breed emphasizes its stocky build, outlines the thick bone structure, the protruding tendons. They are among the biggest cows in the world and come from afar, ever since the 2nd – 3rd centuries BC, when they were used by the Etruscans for food and to till the fields. The Chianina oxen are one of the recurring themes of so many rural paintings by the great Macchiaioli masters. The painters, the most famous of whom is Giovanni Fattori, painted in the open fields, fine gardens, the suburbs of cities, depicting the emotions inspired by their surroundings. More than one century ago, it was much easier to come across these big, peaceful cows at pasture than it is today. For this is the
meat that has given life to the noble tradition of ‘la fiorentina’ (the Florentine beefsteak) probably the most famous dish of our cuisine. A piece of meat, 3 or 4 centimetres thick, weighing no less than one kilo, grilled on the embers for a few minutes (the meat must be rare), without adding salt or oil, ready to absorb the aromas of the flame and to enhance their own. It must be salted only after cooking. Some add a drop of raw olive oil, the choice should be left to individual taste.
In actual fact, the beefsteaks were once more appropriately called ‘carbonate’ (cooked on the flame). It is difficult to say when the word changed. The story is the following, but it is probably only a story. It happened in Florence in the 16th century, in the small streets next to the Basilica of San Lorenzo. There was a feast dedicated to San Lorenzo, one of the patron saints of Florence. The carcass of an ox, naturally of the Chianina breed, was turning on the spit. In a foreign language could be heard, in the midst of the crowd, “beefsteak, please!”. They were the voices of some English merchants, drawn by that succulent sight. As there have always been good relations between the Florentines and the British, it seems that the old word ‘carbonata’ was gradually abandoned and replaced by the Anglo-Saxon beefsteak or ‘bistecca’.
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See also:

Chianti Cooking: The Origins, Preserving Chianti Homemade Cooking, Culinary Vacation in Chianti, The Most Famous Butcher of Chianti in Panzano, Chianti Sheep and Pecorino Cheese, Pigs of Chianti – Cinta, San Felice Chef: Antonio Fallini

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