Siena is an attractive city with a medieval atmosphere. It is famous for its interesting culinary traditions. The main feature of the local cuisine is an abundance of sweets, as city produces a lot of unique treats. In pastry shops and markets ricciarelli, crispy almond cookies, and traditional cakes are offered to visitors. An unusual treat is panpepato cookies made from the nut mixture with honey and pepper; the taste of it is very unusual.
In Siena vacationers can taste fine Tuscan cuisine, enjoy fine wines and appreciate the gastronomic culture of local people. It is worth noting that citizens are cooking food with great care and responsibility. Travelers who decide to get acquainted with the local gastronomy are sure to celebrate the so-called ‘cult of home cooking.’
Local people may attend fancy restaurants, but all of them are likely to confirm that family cuisine is much better. Typically, home meal is cooked by women, although among local men there are talented chefs too. In the evening, you may see small open kitchens on busy city streets and markets; those are open-air barbecues surrounded by small tables.
A typical street food in Siena is the fish and other seafood cooked on the grill by skilled chefs. There are always a lot of visitors next to such small restaurants, as their treats are of high quality. It is curious that natives seldom go to restaurants and prefer exclusively local food to other culinary trends. It is almost impossible to persuade them to try dishes that are popular in other countries, even the cuisine of nearby towns seems unusual and irregular for them.
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