Viva la pappa col pomodoro is a chorus which is almost as popular as the Italian national anthem. The 1964 song performed by Rita Pavone is a hymn to arguably the most delicious, yet also the most simple dish of the Tuscan tradition. Appreciated by young and old alike, this recipe has accompanied Italian summers for centuries and conveys its essence like perhaps no other, transcending the boundaries of cities and regions across the entire peninsula.

The origin of pappa al pomodoro is related to white bread and its reuse. Originally it did not have tomato, in fact there is a “white,” winter version with garlic only. The use of stale bread is crucial for the recipe, but also historically particularly significant, as it was a common practice to reuse leftover bread, avoiding unnecessary food waste. 

The bread soaked in tomato sauce will turn into a thick and creamy consistency, the much appreciated “pappa” To prepare it properly, one should use real Tuscan unsalted bread, which is the “sciocco” bread. The dish can be done all year round, using canned peeled tomatoes, but it is in summer, when the tomatoes are ripe and juicy, that it truly becomes a treat.

A favorite in many parts of Tuscany but especially in Florence, preparing pappa only requires bread cooked with oil and garlic, and scented with basil, with tomatoes as the indispensable base. It can be made more or less flavorful with onion (like its Arezzo variant) and chili pepper but, strictly according to tradition, it should be served with a little finely chopped new garlic, which could represent a problem for many modern palates.  

Ingredients:

• 1kg of ripe tomato pulp
• 200 grams of Tuscan bread,
• 3 cloves of garlic 
• Basil
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Start by finely chopping the garlic and basil, then warm them in the pan to fragrant. After they start sizzling, add the tomato pulp and crush it lightly with a fork.  Cook over moderate heat for about 20 minutes, then add the sliced bread and pour hot water in the mixture. Turn off the heat and let stand, covered, for one hour. Before serving, stir to blend the bread even more.

Pappa al pomodoro is just as tasty the next day, consumed straight from the refrigerator. While there are different ways to prepare the dish, one constant throughout is a tenet that the cuisine from Tuscany is almost never flawed by the addition of cheese. This is particularly helpful when it comes to wine pairing! For this dish, we highly recommend you to try our Dogajolo Toscano Rosato IGT 2024.

This rosé portrays the colorful character of a young, modern wine while being accessible and easy to drink. The must is Sangiovese predominantly , but the exact makeup will reflect local varieties and culture. Fresh-pressing the juice, cooling it gently and leaving it in brief contact with the skins also contributes to the process of development. 

Fermentation at low temperatures with yeasts in stainless steel tanks preserves the wine’s fresh and aromatic nature. Once fermentation completes, the wine will be racked off of the lees and ready for bottling in early January. 

This keeps the wine clear and relatively delicate. It also pours pale pink with elegant vivid fuchsia highlights. The nose, upon tasting, revealed floral expressions of rose, myrtle, and grape blossom, and additional notes of apple, currant, and sour cherry. The palate is fresh and broadened with fruit density with a clean and crisp finish. This wine is better served between 10 and 14 °C.