Chianina beef

Bœuf Chianina

What it is

The Chianina is among the largest cattle in the world — a mature bull stands over 1.7 metres at the shoulder — and the white oxen of the Val di Chiana were draught animals for two thousand years before anyone bred them for meat. That scale is the whole point of a fiorentina: only a loin this broad yields a T-bone cut five centimetres thick that is still a steak and not a roast.

In the kitchen

Five centimetres of very lean meat cannot be cooked through without ruining it: sear both faces hard, then stand it upright on the bone for a few minutes so heat travels up the T, and serve it bleu to rare. Salt after cooking and oil after slicing, never before.

Goes with

Olive oil Rosemary Garlic Black pepper Salt Cannellini bean Rocket Lemon

Same species

Abura-kasu Amourettes (spinal marrow) Spider steak Bastourma Flank steak Beef

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