If you spot peposo on a menu in Florence, you’re looking at one of Tuscany’s oldest and most characterful dishes — a slow-cooked beef stew built almost entirely around black pepper. Its story is said to begin in the 15th century, alongside one of the greatest wonders of the Renaissance: the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence’s cathedral.
According to local lore, the dome’s construction was overseen by the architect Brunelleschi, who relied on a huge workforce to bring the project to life. Among them were the fornacini, the kiln workers who fired the bricks and roof tiles used to build the dome, working day and night. It was punishing labour that demanded hearty, filling food — so the workers were given beef, though usually the tougher, cheaper cuts.
This is where legend takes over. The story goes that, after a pay delay led the workers to down tools, they eventually returned to find the stored meat had begun to spoil. Someone had the idea of cooking it in the corners of the very kilns used to fire the bricks, adding whole black peppercorns to the pot. Not only did the smell disappear — the meat, cooked low and slow, turned tender and full of flavour. From that point on, this "illegitimate child of the Renaissance" became known as peposo, or peposo alla fornacina.
At Benedicta, we’ve taken this traditional Florentine beef dish and reimagined it, wrapping all its flavour inside a soft, delicate ravioli. If you haven’t tried it yet, we’d love to have you at the table.