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Italian · V The Canonical Dishes · Tuscany

Fagioli all'Uccelletto — White Beans in Sage and Tomato

Florence, Tuscany

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I

Origin

Florence and Tuscany generally — fagioli all'uccelletto is documented in Florentine cooking from the 16th century. The Tuscans are called 'mangiafagioli' (bean-eaters) by other Italians — the bean is the most characteristically Tuscan ingredient.

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Description

Fagioli all'uccelletto (beans in the style of small birds — prepared the same way game birds were once served) is the definitive cooked bean preparation of Tuscany: dried cannellini beans cooked until tender, then finished in a pan with olive oil, garlic, sage, and a small amount of tomato (whole peeled San Marzano or a splash of passata). The result is neither a soup nor a stew — the beans are coated in a film of tomato-and-sage-infused olive oil but retain their integrity. It is served as a contorno alongside grilled sausages, bistecca, or arista, and also as a standalone primo. It is the definitive example of the Tuscan gift for transforming a humble ingredient into something of great dignity.

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The Thread

—White beans slowly cooked with pork fat and aromatic ingredients until the beans absorb the surrounding flavours while retaining their texture — the French cassoulet and the Tuscan fagioli all'uccelletto share the principle of finishing cooked white beans in a flavoured fat medium to achieve full integration French
—White beans cooked in an aromatic olive oil base with a small amount of tomato or shellfish — the Asturian fabas and Tuscan cannellini all'uccelletto share the principle of finishing pre-cooked white beans in olive oil and aromatic base for full flavour integration Spanish
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Flavour Context

Fagioli all'uccelletto has the simplicity of a great principle: the bean's natural sweetness and starchiness, coated in sage-and-garlic-infused olive oil, brightened by a small amount of tomato acidity, seasoned with salt. Each bean is flavourful in itself. The dish tastes of nothing other than itself — and that is its virtue.

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