Eat like the Romans
Tender fried artichokes, milk-fed lamb and the original carbonara: discover Rome’s beloved specialities and where to order them with our dish-by-dish guide
words by Sudi Pigott
photography by Helen Cathcart
Ciao down at MatricianellaThe Romans take their recipes as seriously as their ruins. Some are almost as ancient, dating back to around 2AD and Apicius, the first known cookery book writer much fêted by the emperors of his time. A good few of the true old-school Roman dishes rely heavily on spare animal parts left over after carcasses are butchered: brains, hearts, intestines and tails. Some of these are now signature specialities of the Testaccio, the former slaughterhouse district. Although these classics might seem geared more towards gladiators than gourmets, the key to getting the most from eating out in Rome is to do as the Romani di Roma (true Romans) do. Know what to order among the time-tested local dishes, where to eat them and when to book ahead. To become a true Roman buongustai, try these specialities when you’re in town…
carciofi alla giudea / ‘jewish style’ artichokes
The quintessential Roman vegetable is the special little thornless artichoke with barely formed chokes called mammole, which can be eaten whole. They grow in the Lazio countryside outside Rome and have purple-tinged, tightly-packed leaves covering their nutty hearts. Jewish style artichokes, a miracle of deep frying, are usually offered as antipasti. The artichokes are flattened and twice fried in olive oil until golden crisp with just the right crackle, yet still fondant tender within. The artichoke season is late spring, but such is its popularity that restaurateurs have taken to half cooking and freezing the artichokes so that they are available all year round. Renowned food writer Claudia Roden, a consummate fan of carciofi alla giudea, eulogises that they “look like delicate bronze chrysanthemums with curly petals”. The best are found in the Jewish quarter at wood-panelled Piperno. Often carciofi alla giudea are served alongside a fritto misto.
Piperno, 9 Monte dei Cenci, +39 06 688 06629
carciofi alla romana / roman-style artichokes
Carciofi alla romana are stuffed with wild mint, garlic, parsley and breadcrumbs, then baked in oil and water until meltingly tender. They are served with great finesse at Matricianella close to via Condotti, near the Spanish Steps. Despite a homely trattoria appearance, this place is phenomenally popular.
Matricianella, 4 via del Leone, +39 06 683 2100
fritto misto alla romana / fried sweetbreads
Be warned, Roman-style fritto misto includes sweetbreads (animelle) and cervello (brains), fried with onion and pepper. Squeamish diners who still want authenticity should opt for a fritto with bacalao (salt cod), zucchini flowers and peppers. Al Pompiere is a lively frescoed trattoria with a whole section devoted to fried delicacies, including carciofi alla guidea, fritto misto and arancini – pea filled fried risotto balls.
Al Pompiere, 38 via di S. Maria dei Calderari, +39 06 686 8377
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puntarella / wild greens
Puntarella, which is ‘little point’ in English, is a cross between wild dandelion and wild chicory and is only in season during the winter and the early spring months. It has bitter green leaves and hollow white stalks and is normally sliced thinly and left to curl in cold water for dramatic effect. Puntarella is traditionally served as an antipasto with a tangy anchovy, oil, vinegar and garlic dressing. At Matricianella restaurant (see left) you can spy even the smartest businessmen in their suits taking the wise precaution of tucking their napkins under their chins to tackle their puntarella.
abbacchio / spring lamb
Delicate, pale, milk-fed lamb is an archetypal Roman speciality and is normally served in spring. Abbacchio is best cut into small pieces and roasted with garlic and rosemary or prepared al cacciatore, hunters’ style, with rosemary, white wine, anchovies and pepper.
saltimbocca / veal and parma ham
Literally meaning ‘jump in the mouth’, saltimbocca is a more refined Roman kitchen staple – ultra thinly pounded veal is sandwiched with a sage leaf and slice of Parma ham and then fried. Find both abbacchio (see left) and saltimbocca at Da Fortunato. This smart yet rustic trattoria has a decent sized terrace and an impressive list of celebrity devotees past and pressent, whose pictures grace the walls (spot a young Frank Sinatra).
Da Fortunato, 55 via del Pantheon, +39 06 679 2788
bucatini all’amatriciana / pasta with rich tomato sauce
Romans are inveterate pasta eaters. Bucatini is thicker and much more substantial than spaghetti and is ideally suited as an accompaniment to the gutsy amatriciana, a rich tomato and onion sauce with smoky, pungent guanciale – pork cheek that is cured in salt and air-dried, and far more flavoursome than mere pancetta.
spaghetti alla carbonara with bacon, cream and egg
According to house legend, this dish was created at Al Moro after the Second World War to please American GIs who ordered spaghetti, bacon and eggs. It’s more likely to have originated in the Apennines where woodmen cooked pasta over charcoal fires – carbona. Authentic carbonara is made not with Parmesan, but its sheep’s milk equivalent, pecorino. You can still eat it at Al Moro near the Trevi Fountain, an excellent people-watching spot.
At the ultra-glamorous La Pergola restaurant, Rome’s only three Michelin star experience with the most mesmerising views of the Coliseum, creative chef Heinz Beck serves a witty inside-out take on carbonara. Beck uses fagotelli (a version of ravioli) and caviar-like spheres of liquid eggs, pancetta, cream and distinctive Sarawak pepper.
Al Moro, 13 vicolo della Bollette, +39 06 678 3495
La Pergola at Rome Cavalieri Hilton, 101 via Cadlolo,+39 06 3509 2152.
gnocchi alla romana / dumplings
La Pergola: for the
poshest
carbonara
in townOne of few strictly vegetarian Roman specialities, gnocchi alla romana is made with discs of semolina, milk and egg (not potato as is more usual for gnocchi) and served with butter and Parmesan sauce. Said to been invented by a man with few teeth, it is sublime comfort food when perfectly cooked.
We ate gnocchi alla romana at Hostaria al 31, a humble yet packed osteria down a little cobbled street where a bunch of elderly regulars encouraged us to fare una scarpetta or “make a little shoe’” with our bread to mop up the sauce. We drank onesto wine with it, which was gratifyingly low in price.
Hostaria al 31, 31 via delle Carrozze, +39 06 6786127
gelato / ices and sorbets
Undoubtedly the best ice cream is to be found at Il Gelato di San Crispino close to the Trevi Fountain where Giuseppe and Pasquale Alongi are obsessive about using only the finest ingredients. There’s a tantalising range of flavours: our favourites are chestnut, Sardinian honey, crunchy Piedmont hazelnut and meringue. When in season, try a divine sorbet of fragoline di Nemi made with the tiny sweet strawberries that grow wild in the Castelli hills of Lazio.
Whatever you do, don’t ask for a cone – the Alongis are impressively purist and only serve ice cream in tubs as they believe cones mar its taste.
Il Gelato di San Crispino, via della Panetteria +39 06 679 3924.
extreme eating
feeling adventurous? these dishes aren’t as offal as you’d think…
coda alla vaccinara
Once again fashionable – tender oxtail stewed with celery and tomatoes
Da Felice, 29 via Mastro Giorgio, +39 06 574 6800
pajata
Seasoned and lightly fried lamb’s intestines often still with the mother’s milk intact, cooked with garlic, parsley, tomato, chilli and white wine. Agustarello, 98 via Giovanni Branca,+39 06 574 6585
trippa alla romana
Slow-cooked tripe in a stew of rich tomato and fresh mint with pecorino romano. Romolo, 8 via di Porta Settimiana, +39 06 581 8284.
want to find out more?
For a detailed look at Roman cuisine, book a walking tour with Roman food specialist Maureen Fant, which finishes with lunch at Checchino dal 1887 in the Testaccio quarter. www.contexttravel.com
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