Scarpaccia viareggina

They call it “the garden pie” because the essential ingredient is young zucchini; it is an ancient recipe prepared throughout Versilia, but the Viareggio version is the only sweet one; it owes its name to its appearance, which resembles an old shoe sole, but once you get past the initial skepticism, its exquisite taste conquers everyone at the first bite: we are talking about Scarpaccia! We know well that, unlike carrots which are now completely accepted in sweet recipes, zucchinis still face some skepticism... nothing could be more wrong! Zucchinis, with their delicate taste, are perfect for making light desserts very common in Anglo-Saxon countries. But the thing that made us fall in love with Scarpaccia is that here zucchinis are not just a light trick, but the absolute protagonists of a poor and ancient recipe that does not come from overseas but from a small Tuscan town of fishermen and farmers. It does not respond to a trend, but to a delicious tradition! Scarpaccia is very simple to prepare but requires some precautions: the zucchinis must be as small and tender as possible, those with the flower that are found in May and June. Using larger, darker zucchinis would make the good outcome of the cake completely impossible.