Carcerato, typical dish of Pistoia, is the most significant if not original Pistoiese contribution to Tuscan cuisine. Carcerato is a very old and flavourful recipe prepared by slowly boiling the inners and so-called secondary pieces of beef, such as the tail, hooves and head. Carrots, onions, celery and tomato add flavour to the broth which is poured over slightly toasted, aromatic slices of Tuscan bread. The dish is completed by a sprinkling of grated cheese, preferably pecorino.
The are numerous amusing and curious stories regarding the origin of the name, but according to the most believable says that in the past the unwanted pieces from animals butchered at the local slaughterhouse were thrown into the Brana stream. The prison was set along this waterway and the inmates asked for, and received , the pieces of meat. As their prison diet consisted of water and dry bread, this gastronomic invention was born.