Location: Trequanda
Typology: Butcher and local products
Value: €€
Posted October 10th, 2008
For two generations, the Ricci family has been raising and butchering Tuscan's most cherished meat, the chianina. A white cattle raised on a unique diet, this beef is the crown jewel of steaks and essential to Tuscan cooking.
Without it you cannot make a 'Bisteca Fiorentina', the one inch high t-bone that must weigh between 1.2 to 1.5 kilos to be considered true. This is seared on the outside remaining blood rare inside allowing it to melt in your mouth. Nor could we eat the tagliata with rosemary without this noble meat.
His stock is not limited to the Chianina, either. As with all good butchers, he supplies a wide assortment from beast and fowl or, for the more lazy, cured meats of every shape, flavour and size to be accompanied by the local Pecorino cheese. With a good selection of Trequandan wines and delicacies in jars, clients need even enter the kitchen . . . they even have fresh bread from the local bakery to make your meal complete.
I admit it is disarming to meet a butcher who is tall and thin, but in Ricci's case this is purely a matter of constitution not a lack of good food. What he lacks in weight, he easily makes up for in skill and knowledge. A trip to Ricci's is a feast for the eyes as well as an enjoyable history lesson. He is encyclopedia of local folklore, tradition and culture blending suggestions on cooking with facts about
the passage of time in the Val D'Orcia.
What Enrico provides in knowledge and charm, his bride supplies with wit and warmth. Looking very much the butchers wife, she will smile, cajole and sometimes even her lecture her clients on what they think they want vs what she thinks they need. Part Italian Mamma, part expert cook.
To tell you that Ricci's was an undiscovered jewel would be unfair, since more than a few gourmets count on him for their supplies. 
Regardless, you will find the shop bustling with local residents and will invariably need to wait a bit. Enjoy it. Look around. You will find jars to tempt you (I highly recommend the stuffed peppers and eggplant in olive oil). Don't fell like slaving over a hot stove, grab a sauce as they are all delicious. Ricci has various types of pastas including the local Pici, a hand rolled pasta that is only made in southern Tuscany and especially good with rich meat sauces.
When it comes your turn, ask to try the various salamis and enjoy the entire experience. Then 
when you get home, you can relive it all over again. Should you choose to take something back to your home country, Ricci is more than willing to seal anything in vacuum bags which meet customs requirements. Soon, he will even be delivering products to his customers worldwide.
At a Glance
Location: Trequanda
Typology: Butcher and local products
Hours: Tuesday & Wednesday, 9:00 - 13:00; Thursday - Saturday, 9:00 - 13:00, 17:00 - 20:00
Accepts: Visa, Mastercard and Amex
Going Tuscan recommends: Try the meats most of all, either fresh or cured. Ricci raises all the livestock himself and has complete control over the process from their diet to the traditional means by which the meat is aged and flavoured. He insists on authentic methods that many have abandoned for more commercial means.
His Finochiona (aged pork loin flavoured with fennel) uses whole fennel seeds and the leanest cut of pork. His Tuscan mortgage does not resemble at all the huge light brown meats found in Deli counters but is a thick salami with cubes of local lard (not what your grandmother used).
He will be glad to let you try any of his cured meats and cheeses to better appreciate the multitudes of flavours.
On the main road from Sinalunga at the crossroad for Trequanda.
Macelleria Ricci
Enrico Ricci
Via Traversa dei Monti
Trequanda (SI)
Tel. +39 0577 662252
Fax +39 0577 662001
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