Ribollita is a popular recipe of peasant origin. It is defined as the Tuscan lean soup of the peasants. Written traces of its existence date back to the sixteenth century and confirm the presence of some fundamental ingredients: bread and black cabbage. The name clearly indicates the process, which requires the soup prepared in advance to be re-boiled two or more times. It is believed that in ancient times, the leftovers from the week used to prepare the Tuscan soup were re-boiled to be refreshed. Housewives and peasant women prepared ribollita on Fridays when religion and poverty suggested abstinence from meat. Vegetable and legume soups, therefore, were the best solution. According to tradition, it seems that the bread in the ribollita recipe came from the lords’ banquets. Before the introduction of dishes and cutlery in the Renaissance, it was customary to consume food using shared cutting boards and plates, with hands, and even earlier, using plates made of flour and water: cooked and flattened chickpea flour cakes were the dish of medieval castle lords. The leftover focaccia was offered to the servants who reused it to enrich soups and stews. The amount of soup produced was so much that it lasted several days and could feed and nourish the whole family. Each time it was consumed, the soup was refreshed by boiling it. Over time, ribollita has become a traditional Tuscan dish, no longer just of peasant cuisine, but present on every table.
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