A sandwich of tripe and the market where Florentines do their shopping
The Mercato Centrale of San Lorenzo, a cast-iron and glass hall of 1874, is where Florence buys its food. The ground floor is a market of butchers, fishmongers, bakers and stalls of cheese, olive oil and tripe; the upper floor, restored in 2014, is a food court with counters of pasta, pizza, bistecca and Tuscan wine.
The real Florentine street food is the lampredotto, the fourth stomach of the cow, slow-cooked in broth and served in a bread roll dipped in the cooking juices, with salsa verde and chilli oil. You find it at the trippai, the tripe vendors' kiosks dotted around the city, from the one at the market to those in Piazza dei Cimatori and Porta Romana.
Tip: ask for it "bagnato", with the roll soaked in the broth. If you prefer, trippa alla fiorentina with tomato is the other classic.
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