Cacciucco (Tuscan Fish Stew) I

History

Cacciucco is the fish stew of Tuscany's Tyrrhenian coast, most closely tied to the port of Livorno. It is commonly said to have taken shape around the sixteenth century as a frugal way for fishermen's families to cook the unsold or least valuable part of the day's catch. The name's roots are contested: most accounts trace it to a Turkish word, though the form cited varies — küçük, "small," pointing to the finely cut ingredients, or kaçukli, "bits and pieces"; the record does not settle the question. A Livornese tradition holds that a proper cacciucco needs at least five kinds of fish, one for each "c" in its name, and that the spelling must keep both c's. Colorful origin legends circulate — a widow feeding her children on fish begged from the quay, or a lighthouse keeper of the Fanale forbidden to fry — but these travel as legend, not documented fact. Artusi's version is one of the earliest to appear in print, serving the fish and broth-soaked bread on separate platters; notably it is already built on tomato and vinegar, and he adds a lighter Viareggio variant seasoned with fresh chili he calls zenzero.

Ingredients

• g assorted fish
• count onion
• oil
• parsley
• clove garlic
• g tomatoes or tomato paste
• vinegar
• bread
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

1. Fry finely sliced half onion in oil with parsley and two whole garlic cloves until colored.
2. Add 300 g tomatoes (or paste), salt, and pepper, and cook.
3. Add diluted vinegar, boil briefly, discard the garlic, and pass the sauce, pressing well.
4. Return the strained juice to the heat with 700 g assorted fish (small whole, large in pieces) and cook; adjust seasoning.
5. Serve the drained fish and the finger-thick bread slices (dried, not toasted) in two separate dishes.