The well-deserved snack of Valdichiana

May 15, 2021

More than a simple snack, the”well-deserved” snack of Valdichiana is a tasty convival break with friends

In Tuscany every meal is shared, be it lunch or dinner. And even the “merenda” (snack). Well, our passion for taste and quality food is able to transform any “food moment” of the day in a convivial situation. It is able to satisfy the palate and the reputation of social relationships so much that we have been missing it in the last year. Therefore, snacks made in Valdichiana Senese are not the classic mid-afternoon frugal meal in order to not be too hungry at dinner, but it is a real well-deserved break. Not surprisingly, the word merenda comes from the Latin mereo: what one deserves.

It is so deserved that here in Valdichiana the word merenda in Tuscany is often used as a synonym for a picnic with friends to do on special occasions, such as Labour Day or April 25 when a break is inviolable, or on Sunday afternoons. The meal is anything but frugal.

Tradition

My grandparents, great fans of snacks and traditional food, used to tell me about those. The program was simple. The meeting was in the woods, where everyone brought their own blanket. They had a basket with the products (strictly seasonal and homemade) and from there began a long afternoon of chatting, eating and sharing. What could you eat during snacks? Homemade cold cuts, ham, salami and Tuscan loin. That was in fact the occasion to let everyone taste those products after having produced them at home in Winter. And then seasonal vegetables, broad beans, turnips and artichokes for the pinzimonio, and pecorino cheese to “refresh” your mouth after, as a dessert. And of course, wine.

Today’s well-deserved snack

Today, the snack in Valdichiana Senese hasn’t changed much. The atmosphere is the same, as is the desire to spend time with friends and loved ones and in the company of good food. To relive the same tasty sensations on Valdichianaeating.shop you will find the Meritata Merenda Box (well-deserved snack), a more than well-deserved moment accompanied by typical certified, artisanal and authentic excellences aiming to bring home the Tuscan snack of the past.

There is no shortage of cured meats and cheeses, with pork loin from Macelleria Belli and Pecorino Gran Riserva of Pienza, from Caseificio Cugusi Silvana, real protagonists of the Box. And then you will find us some authentic delicacies: the aubergine cream from Podere Saragiolo that I recommend you to spread it on Tuscan bread and accompany it with the loin, than the onion and truffle cream and the superior cfig jam from La Bandita which instead I invite you to try with the Pecorino of Pienza. To make the snack even more special, we added to the Box the craft beer La Viola from the Saragiolino Brewery, an opalescent amber beer with orange reflections. In mouth it is warm, enveloping, with notes of malt and ripe pear, it finishes with an aftertaste of dried fruit and a light and refreshing bitterness. Perfect to accompany your snack.

If you think you deserve this break then you just have to order it and receive it directly at your home!