The ruins of Rome hint at the glory of the ancient Roman Empire, but do not reveal the food and cooking of the average Roman.  For the poor Roman, food was basic - fish caught from a pole dangling over the the banks of the Tiber, lamb which roamed in Shepherds' flocks through the streets, and quality fresh vegetables from a home garden.  Cooking was another story as many of the poorer Romans lived in cramped, ramshackle spaces that were firetraps.  Eating in the streets was popular, a trend that developed into eating in trattorias which sprang up all over the city.  As the seat of the papacy, Rome has been visited by pilgrims for centuries, and those trattorias have always been filled.  Essentially, the foods in the trattorias evolved from the ingredients in best supply in Rome.

The first rule of all Italian cooking is the insistence on quality ingredients and the Romans are no exception.  Through the centuries they have developed dishes made primarily with these foods and with a wonderful burst of the rich Italian imagination.  

"The Campo de' Fiori is officially known as Rome's largest open air market, a vast square where the abundant produce grown in the volcanic soil of the countryside is massed daily. .... Could the country that produced Rafaelo, Tintoretto, Leonardo da Vinci create anything so mundane as a market? What opens is a radiating blend of oranges, reds, purples, of so many shades of green that color streaked before the eye. No, this is not a produce market, this is an impressionist painting, but this painting was alive and we could walk into its opacity, soak in the saturating density of color.

"Fragole della campagna," sings a strawberry vendor, who is then answered by the other vendors. "Scampi freschi," sing the fishmongers, "ci sono pomodori belli," responds a produce man, a round sung loud in voices that hint at the ability to produce a Pavarotti.  There are grapes on stands that swarm with bees, artichokes that came on long stalks and were trimmed on the spot by the vendors, delicate white cherries whose stems are woven together so that they resemble bunches of grapes." from when in rome by diana serbe

Roman Foods & Ingredients  

Baby Lamb (Abbacchio) - Abbacchio is lamb under 90 days old. Abbacchio is milk fed and has "never tasted grass."  This is the Roman's favorite Easter dish, served traditionally as a symbol of renewal.  There is no lamb as smooth and tender.

Lamb (Agnello) - Agnello is lamb aged from 90 days to one year.  Though not as velvety as Abbacchio, it is a very tender lamb.

Asparagus (Asparagi) - Asparagi selvagge is translated as 'wild asparagus' and the vegetable was to be found in the hills around Rome growing wild. (click to read more about asparagus)

Artichokes (Carciofi) - Artichokes are a mild obsession with the Romans as well they deserve to be.  They are among the finest of artichokes to be found. (click to read about artichokes) They are most frequently cooked either alIa Giudea (Jewish style) or alla Romana with mint.

Broccoli rabe (broccoli di rape) -   These have become quite popular in the last fifteen years in the US.  They are a long-standing staple in Roman cooking.

Salt Cod (Baccalà) - Dried salt cod is a staple of people throughout the world.  In Rome they may be cooked with tomatoes, pine nuts and raisins (a common Sicilian combination), or they may be lightly fried in oil.    

Chestnuts (Castagne) - Chestnuts grow throughout the mountains of Viterbo and their arrival in October is celebrated with a festival.  They are shipped to Rome where the chestnut vendors roast them on tins, scenting the air as they roast.  They are served in a paper cone.  Chestnuts are not limited to roasting, however, and are used in soups and stuffings.  They are ground to make flour.  They are mentioned in Pellegrino Artusi's Art of Eating Well.

Chickpeas (chickpeas) and Lentils (Lenticchie) - Both lentils and chickpeas are among the oldest and most nourishing foods of humankind.  The Romans used them in soup, of course, and with cotechino sausage as a New Year's dish.  In the weeks before Easter, Roman women put lentils in a tray to sprout.  They use the sprouts as a centerpiece on the table as a symbol of spring and renewal.  (We use wheat grass in a similarly decorative manner.)

Eels - (Anguilla) The now-polluted Tiber was once the source of eels, but the most savored are the baby eels from Lake Bracciano in the nearby campagna.  They are stewed with peas. The larger ones, called capitone, are eaten traditionally on Christmas Eve.  Pope Martin IV was so gluttonous in his appetite for eels, that Dante mentioned him in the Divine Comedy, putting him in purgatory. Perhaps an excessive love for eels does not condemn one to the hopelessness of the lower depths.

Farro or Emmer - This ancient grain is now popular with health food addicts, but was once the mainstay of Roman life.  As a domesticated crop, emmer dates back to 7700 B.C. Caesar brought farro or emmer from Egypt and it reputedly sustained the Roman Legions.   It was replaced by wheat.

Fava Beans  - Despite their large size, fava beans are members of the pea family.  Called the meat of the poor, they are popular throughout the central and southern parts of Italy.  When fresh, fava beans are braised with onions and guanciale, or eaten raw with a small slice of pecorino cheese. 

Guanciale. Guanciale is a form of salt pork made from the pig's jowl.  In the United States, recipes often substitute pancetta, even bacon, for the very hard to get guanciale which is considerably fattier and often sprinkled with pepper.  Guanciale has become quite popular with adventurous chefs, notably Mario Batali who consistently searches for authenticity.

Snails - (lumache)  Snails were so popular in ancient Rome that they were raised in special gardens to fatten them.  Today snails are an integral part of the Feast of St. John (June 24).

Mortadella  - Mortadella is made in many areas of Italy, especially in the northern regions, primarily in Emilia-Romagna, but Amatrice specializes in their own version.

Peas (Piselli) - "The sweetest peas in the world," declared the pioneering British cookbook author, Elizabeth David.  The Romans agree, though the Venetians argue with this statement.  The Romans are never wasteful, and do not shell peas to use only the sweet seeds within, but save the pods to make a soup.  

Pork (Porchetta) - In the Campagna Romana, roast whole baby pork is a popular treat.  Spit-roasted pork is also typical in the regions of Umbria and the Marches.

Puntarelle - Puntarelle is a variety of chicory. Its leaves resemble the notched leaves of dandelion while its shoots are cut and put into cold water where they curl.  They are served with an anchovy and garlic sauce.  Anyone who has eaten puntarelle will dream of eating them again.   A Roman specialty. 

Strawberries - The vendor in the campo dei fiori who sang "Fragole della campagna," was referring joyfully to strawberries from Lake Nemi which are reputed to be the best.

Strutto - Strutto is lard.  It shocks those who associate Italy only with olive oil to learn of the use of lard in early Roman cooking.  Many families had pigs in Rome's pastoral days, and true to their practical natures, the Romans wasted no part of the pig.  Strutto was valued for its practical use as well as its taste.

Walnuts - The ancient Romans considered walnuts to be food for the gods, though Pliny warns that the trees and leaves "give out a poison that affects the brain.:  The same Pliny goes on to say that "Very old walnuts cure gangrene, carbuncles and bruises.  The bark of walnut-trees cures ringworm and dysentery.  The pounded leaves mixed with vinegar cure earache."  In ancient Rome, walnuts were called "Juglans regia" in honor of Jupiter

Zucchini - Roman zucchini have an advantage over other varieties of zucchini as they are a little drier.  They are wonderful for cooking. Romans waste nothing - the flower is cooked as well.

Roman Cheeses

Rome is the land of sheep and it is this sheep's milk that gives greatness to the Roman cheeses.  They are produced all over Lazio with variations from place to place, but what is significant is that sheep's milk has double the amount of fat that is in either goat's milk or cow's milk.  It is also doubled in protein, lactose and minerals.  Buffalo milk is also very high in fat, though not as rich in other properties.  Only reindeer milk surpasses these two sources.

There are two basic types of cheese in Rome - formaggi which are aged cheeses (aged pecorino is an example) and latticing which are soft.  In the latter category we find ricotta romana and mozzarella di bufalo, a mozzarella made from the milk of water buffalos.  This is shaped into balls or is braided and must be eaten immediately.

Caciotta - This is a somewhat generic term used for a wide variety of simple cheeses.  In Rome sheep milk prevails.  It is a soft, mild cheese.

Pecorino Romano -   The most famous cheese of Rome, this is a sheep's milk cheese, aged about eight to nine months to make it a grating cheese.  It has a sharper flavor than its most famous relative Parmigiano, and in many dishes there is no substitute for the extra zing it gives a dish.  The young pecorino is rarely sold in the US, but is used in Italy in certain baking dishes.  Again, its sharpness is not reproduced by substituting parmigiano.

Mozzarella di bufala - This is exactly what its name implies, a sublime mozzarella cheese made from the milk of water buffalo.  Generally, it is shaped into balls, possibly braided or made into the tiny bocconcini that have become familiar to gourmets.  It is best eaten on native soil as refrigeration affects the taste and shipping diminishes its taste.  Shipping also raises the price dramatically.  Better to buy a plane ticket and eat it on site.

Provola -  This is not provolone which is an aged cheese.  Provola is aged for under eight days and is a semi soft cheese.  It was once made only from the water buffalo's milk, but today is mixed with cow's milk.

Scamorza - This is a soft, yet firm cheese.  Again the sheep milk is used, but for Scamorza it is mixed with cow's milk.  It is often a substitute for meat.

Ricotta Romana. - Ricotta is made all over Italy, but the Roman ricotta is hailed as the best and the sweetest.   The area around Rieti produces a ricotta cheese made of goat's cheese which is said to be even sweeter.   When dried, ricotta is often salted to produce ricotta salata.  This form of the cheese can be eaten in slices and is just firm enough to be grated. The simplest of desserts can be made by serving a bowl of ricotta to each diner.  Put on the table a bowl of sugar and a small amount of very finely ground coffee.  Each person sprinkles sugar and coffee into their ricotta to taste. 

 

Please also read:

main page Cooking of Rome and Lazio (with recipes)   
classic Roman dishes  
the satyricon - ancient roman indulgences  
"the blessing of the house" - easter in rome  
"when in rome" - an account of living in rome

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