a Torta d’ Erbe is a vegetable pie, formerly made almost exclusively with foraged field greens encased in a simple crust and cooked over a wood fire. Today most folks use garden greens and some forgo the crust in favor of of a breadcrumb topping.
The photo shows a commercial version of Torta d’ Erbe bought in a bar. the crust makes the food portable, easily cut into slices and served.
You’ll also be able to find Torta d’ Erbe in some bakeries, as we do in the Lunigiana, where it is very popular.
We like Torta d’ erbe for breakfast, puchased in a bakery the night before and warmed in the oven.
You’ll also find the vegetable pie on plates of mixed antipasti.
My neighbor Francesca make a home version, which you can see in the various stages of production here: Torta d’ Erbe.
The “torta d’erbi” is the traditional cake of St. Zita, saint dear for Lucca, the patron saint of the same town, of housewives and bakers. It is celebrated in the city on April 25 with floral exhibitions and markets located in different squares of the historical center. In the streets the scent of flowers merges with that of “torta d’erbi”, prepared in homes. — The “Torta d’erbi” by Maura