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Products Typical to the Vara Valley

The gastronomy and cuisine of Sarzana, just as in all of the Magra valley (or lower Lunigiana), is characterized by the fusion of Ligurian and Tuscan traditions. this gives rise to dishes which are typically Tuscan such as farinata, a flat chickpea bread, and buccellato, and others clearly of Ligurian origin such as spungata, a typical type of Christmas cake, and scarpazza.

PRODUCTS MADE WITH FLOUR

The Focaccia of Sarzana: focaccia is usually a type of flat bread but this is a flat cake made with simple ingredients like flour, sugar, egg, raisins, walnuts or pine nuts, aniseed, brewer's yeast, wine, olive oil and salt linked to the traditional engagement cerimonies of young couples of Sarzana celebrated in Piazza della Calcandola (now Piazza Matteotti).

The Farinata of Sarzana: typical speciality from Toscana and from the coast of Toscana where it takes the name "Cecìna" or "calda-calda". Farinata is a simple dish: chickpea flour, water, salt and oil. The liquidy mixture is poured into a baking tray and then cooked in the oven.

The Scarpazza of Sarzana: is certainly the most notable of the savoury pies and flans made with herbs and vegetables. It is made from a mixture of chard and leeks, previously partially cooked in a pan, egg and Parmesan cheese, all spread out on a layer of flaky pastry laid in a baking tray then with the sides of the pastry wrapped over the top and cooked in an oven

Testaroli: a very simple dish typical of Lunigiana. Its history is linked with the old roman city of Luni. They are made with water and flour (traditionally flour made from spelt or emmer wheat), mixed into a liquid batter and cooked over a wood fire for some minutes in special containers called "testi", forming a type of crêpe a few millimetres thick. The thin crêpe are cut into squares or rectangles a few centimetres in dimension (the size of a sheet of lasagne). They are then dropped into boiling water adding a few chestnut leaves to cover them and leave them to cook with the heat turned off for a few minutes. They are served dressed with pesto, olive oil and grated sheep's cheese, or with tomato or porcini mushroom sauce.  

Torta d’Erbi: is a savoury wild herb and vegetable flan from Lunigiana made with the available wild herbs and seasonable vegetables in season. It is round and the filling is an intense green colour. It is made in the periods from March to May and September to December. The torta d'erbi is typical to this area due to the particular combination of ingredients: local wild herbs (sometimes referred to a lambs' salad) and garden vegetables. The taste of this "torta" depends on the quality and quantity of local wild herbs used. It can be eaten as an appetizer or as a main dish.

CAKES

Spungata of Sarzana: a very typical and exclusive cake, spungata is made in the small area of Val di Magra. It has the form of a cob loaf covered in a ceam coloured icing which covers a topping of a mixture of ingredients, in particular fruit preserve and candied fruits give the cake a firm consistency and complex taste. Something similar can also be found in Pontremoli higher up the Magra, from which it has recently adopted the name "Dolce della Via Francigena", meaning cake of the Via Francigena, which was the old pilgrim road.

Buccellato: this is an oven baked cake in the shape of a round ring with a hole in the middle, found across this area it particularly has a grand tradition in Lunigiana. The ingredients are flour, egg, sugar, milk, butter, yeast, essence of lemon and orange flowers. All the ingredients are mixed together into a soft dough which is left to rise for a few hours. This is then divided into loaves of around a half kilo. This is then put in a ring-shaped cake tin and egg yolk and sugar is brushed over it. It is left to rise a little more before being baked in the oven for 40 minutes.

WINES

I.G.T. Colli di Luni: the story of this wine is very recent and the I.G.T. is the recognition of the quality achieved thanks to the dedication of local growers. Three types are sold: Colli di Luni Rosso, Colli di Luni Bianco and Colli di Luni Vermentino.

I.G.T. Colli di Luni: produced from various grapes: the white "bianco" uses Albarola, Durella, Trebbiano and Vermentino; the red "rosso" uses Ciliegiolo, Groppello, Merlote Pollera, and the rosé is made from Pollera, Ciliegiolo and Merlot.