Cibreo, the unusual chicken dish that caught Emiko Davies by surprise

Cibreo contains chicken crests and “beans” Source: Emiko Davies

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In our fourth episode of The Ugly Ducklings of Italian Cuisine, we travel back in time to Renaissance Florence, where Catherine De’ Medici was in love with cibreo. The dish uses some very exotic parts of the chicken, including its crest and testicles.

Cibreo is a creamy sauce which Florentines eat with plenty of fresh bread.

The recipe has been around for centuries and also appears in Italian cuisine’s “bible”, La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiar bene by Pellegrino Artusi, first published in 1891.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST TO DISCOVER...

You might need to do some homework if you want to prepare cibreo in Australia
In Florentine cuisine very little is wasted
French cuisine may have benefited from having Catherine De’ Medici as their queen

Emiko Davies is an Australian born author who now lives in Florence. She prepared cibreo for the first time in preparation for this podcast, and she discusses it with Francesco Mannelli, Executive Chef at Mode Kitchen and Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney.