Carcerato

Carcerato is an old Italian soup hailing from the city of Pistoia in Tuscany. The soup's origins are connected with the hungry prisoners of St. Catherine prison, who saw giblets that were thrown as waste in the Brana river by the people from the city's old slaughterhouse. The prisoners asked for permission to collect the offal and make a soup with the addition of water and stale bread. This dish for the poor is nowadays enriched with garlic, cheese, and various spices, but it's not easily found – only a few local trattorias offer this traditional dish on their menus. The name carcerato means prisoner, referring to the origins of this humble soup.