You don’t need a time machine to immerse yourself in the simple, genuine and flavorful foods from centuries past. When we visited the historic Falorni butcher shop (Antica Macelleria Falorni) founded in 1806 in Greve in Chianti, Tuscany, we found ourselves back in time. When someone says Chianti region, all you can think about is wine, although there is so much more to this famous province.
Falorni is a traditional establishment that still stands, following nine generations. It was handed down from father to son along with its original recipes and culinary secrets. The shop is located in its primordial location, Piazza Matteotti, which is the pulsing heart of one of the most characteristic towns of Tuscany.
Indeed, Falorni is not just a shop, but a world to be discovered and is proud of its connection with the rural and picturesque nature of its surrounding areas.
When you enter the shop, you are hypnotized by the warm color of salamis and prosciuttos hanging from the ceiling, the cheeses laid out on the marble counters, along with sausages and meats packaged with the highest attention to detail. The shop is also a miniature museum. One can observe several tools and machines used by the expert hands of the butchers. Downstairs, you access the underground cellars where the cheese is seasoned and left to rest. No wonder I couldn’t find my love, Viktoria, for a few minutes: she was keenly admiring the shape of the “Marzolino,” a typical cheese of this countryside. The salamis are sourced by pigs raised in the wild. The meats are cured with local wine and a secret combination of spices.
The bistro next door was opened in 2013 and offers a variety of selections. Here the products can be tasted, further persuading the customer to return to the shop to buy them in bulk. Among the several options are mixed cured meats paired with cheeses and vegetables, soups, paninis, and the tasteful grapes of the region. The bistro has a large selection of wine that can be paired with specific cheeses and meats.
Falorni is an unforgettable experience. The memory of the aromas and flavors you experience in Greve in Chianti will later make you turn pale when, returning to the States, you come across a Subway, now your food nightmare.
~ Written by: Viktoria Rusnakova & Samuele Bagnai, authors of Enthusiastic All the Way & Tuscan Who Sold His Fiat to the Pope, respectively.
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