Detail of some donut-shaped buccellati with sultanas, on a table

Home/Activities/Live like a local/traditional Lucca dishes

Traditional Lucca dishes

The flavor of a city and its territory on your table. The hills of wine and oil, the plains of beans, vegetables, and wild herbs, the mountains of chestnuts and mushrooms. Each region has its own products, and tradition has its own dish: tordelli (yes, with a "D"), torta coi becchi, garmugia, fritti fritti, and so on. If you want to live like a local, you absolutely must try some of these dishes!

close-up of Lucchese tordeli seasoned with ragù, on a plate

The Tordelli

friars from Lucca, a sweetened donut with a hole in the middle

the Friars

The Garmugia

The Buccellato

close-up of the characteristic Lucca herb cake with small curls of shortcrust pastry around it

The Cake with the Beaks

A chestnut flour pancake spread with ricotta cheese

The Neccio

The Frantoiana soup

The tordelli

In the Lucca area, tortelli are called “tordelli”, with the d.

They are the emblem of taste and opulence: a dish filled with meat and seasoned with a meat sauce, in the classic scalloped crescent shape.

A Sunday classic in every season. Countless festivals in the Lucca plain celebrate this tasty dish, each with its own family recipe, varying in the blend of spices, the consistency of the ragù, the size and quantity of the filling, and a thousand other nuances that only the people of Lucca can recognize.

…continue on madeinlucca.it

The Friars

September in Lucca wouldn't be September in Lucca if it didn't have the scent of fried friars and doughnuts.

They are not simple doughnuts, they have a very particular fragrance and can be purchased at street stalls throughout the month, especially on the days of the “Fiere Comandate” (Feasts of the Holy Cross) the 14th, the 21st (San Michele) and the 29th (San Matteo), individually or in bags, well sugared and still hot, to share with friends, relatives, colleagues.

…continue on madeinlucca.it

The Garmugia

In Tuscany, as is well known, we love soups.

In Lucca, spring is heralded by the first fruits in the garden and fields, which everyone eagerly awaits to prepare one of the freshest and tastiest soups of the year, prepared for a short time, while they are available.

…continue on madeinlucca.it

The Buccellato of Lucca

Buccellato, however, remains undoubtedly the most iconic dessert in the history of Lucca's cuisine. A classic Sunday morning purchase, to take home for lunch, tucked into your arm.

Without giving up the classic donut shape, today it can also be purchased in more practical loaves.

…continue on madeinlucca.it

The cake with the beaks

It is a round shortcrust pastry cake baked in the oven with an unusual filling of chard, stale bread, and small delicacies, as in the tradition of Lucca's "poor" cuisine.

Torta d'erbi is the traditional cake of Saint Zita, a saint dear to the people of Lucca and co-patron saint of Lucca, housewives, cloakroom attendants, and bakers. In the streets, the scent of flowers mingles with that of torta d'erbi, baked in homes.

…continue on madeinlucca.it

The Neccio Lucchese

Water and chestnut flour, a drizzle of oil. The taste of simplicity.
We could define Necci as a mountain crèpe with a delicate flavor and exquisite company: ricotta, cured meats, honey to taste.

They can be cooked on a hot stone with an ancient and spectacular technique that was used to keep these fritters warm until dinner time or on an open fire, pressing the batter into the testi, two iron discs with a long handle.

…continue on madeinlucca.it

The Frantoiana soup

Soups are a Tuscan classic in every season. Whether "poor" or refined, contemporary comfort food, they are a perfect example of anti-waste cuisine that highlights seasonal produce and creatively utilizes preserveable ingredients like beans and onions.

continue on madeinlucca.it