This is the yearly grape harvest time in Tuscany, and the recipe below, a Florentine’s specialty, is also called the merenda del vendemmiatore, the vintager’s snack. As most things that originated ages ago in the Tuscan country side, this is a very basic recipe that requires the simplest of ingredients and preparations while providing great delight.

Ingredients for six people:

2 pounds black grapes with seeds (as from the original recipe; their bitterish taste balances the sweetness of the fruit and sugar and give some crunch to the schiaccia)

1 pound leavened dough

1 cup brown sugar

extra virgin olive oil

What to do:

Knead the leavened dough with four tbs of oil and 1/4 cup of sugar.

On a baking tin brushed with olive oil stretch the dough to obtain a thin layer, cover with about 2/3 of the washed and gently dried grapes and sprinkle with two tbs of sugar and two tbs of oil.

Stretch on top another thin layer with the remaining dough, top it with the remaining grapes and make sure to seal the edges of your schiacciata.

Brush it with some more olive oil before putting into the preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook for about 40 minutes.

For a richer flavor, while you knead the dough add a few leaves of rosemary.

Enjoy la merenda del vendemmiatore!