For those that have traveled to Italy already and indulged in Bistecca alla Fiorentina you know how good this beef is. It is a carnivore’s dream. Juicy. Succulent. Tender. Perfectly marbled. And always rare to medium rare just like Dracula would have appreciated.  My appetite progresses from “healthy” to “oh my God, did you see what she ate” and have on a number of occasions polished off a 1 kg steak myself.  I had a brief fling with vegetarianism many years ago, but my typically slender bod went down to “have you been sick?” and my canines were aching to tear flesh so my inner hedonist returned.

Chianina is one of, if not the, oldest breeds of cattle there are.  There are images of these huge cattle in Roman artifacts when they were used only as draft animals, but then of course, the quality of their meat was discovered.  The breed is pure through most of Italy and extremely carefully regulated.  When I say careful I mean that each individual calf is registered, only certified packers can pack the meat and each package is labeled with a number designating the animal the meat came from.  So in the supermarket here you see the number of the individual animal on the meat you buy for your home, I guess the modern equivalent of knowing the farmer you buy your meat from.

A full-blooded Italian Chianina did not actually make it to the US until 1973, long after his countrymen had instilled a love for all variations of imported Italian food in Americans.  The Chianina is frequently cross bred with various cattle here and finding true, pure Chianina is not common in the US.  When you do find it, it will most likely be in a restaurant and you should indulge, even if you have a cholesterol test the next day, just go for it.  You will see why Tuscans take such pride in this meat.  If you end up in London it will be a bit easier to find there, and of course when you come here, come armed with a steak knife and your appetite.