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Eating in Rome

Even if you have no opportunity or intention of cooking while you're in Italy, a visit to the open air markets is a feast for the senses. It gives you some colourful Kodak moments, and you will get an idea of the variety of produce and their Italian names, a smart way to research your lunch (pranzo) or dinner (cena) meal choices.

Open air markets

Campo dei Fiori -- perhaps the most well-known, but not one of the biggest or most economical. Besides fresh fruits and vegetables, there are also stalls selling t-shirts and scarfs. Right off this piazza is Ittica Attanasio, one of the best seafood shops in Rome, located on Via del Biscione, 12, and then there's Il Forno, located on Piazza Campo dei Fiori, selling freshly baked bread and pizza.

Piazza Vittorio Emanuele -- located in the neighborhood of Termini train station, this used to be an outdoor market, but has now moved into an indoor space. One of the larger markets in Rome, fast-paced and chaotic, it also has a variety of stalls selling Indian, Chinese and Middle eastern products.

Mercato Piazza dell'Unita -- situated on Via Cola di Rienzo in the Prati neighborhood, this market dates back to the 1920s. Only other markets which usually close stall at lunchtime, this market stays open til evening.

Seafood

Seafood can be fresh in restaurants every day if that restaurant has a special agreement with their supplier. Most restaurants and markets however rely on fresh deliveries of seafood on Tuesdays and Fridays. It is therefore prudent to keep this in mind when ordering seafood at a restaurant. A lot of restaurants display their seafood in the window or entrance. This way you can choose something that looks most appealing to you.

What kind of fish is that. . .?
cozze - mussles
vongole - clams
gamberi - shrimp
astice - lobster
rombo - turbot
sogliola - sole
dentice - red snapper
acciughe - anchovies
cernia - groper
merluzzo - cod
spigola - bass
tonno - tuna
pescespada - swordfish

Gnocchi (pronounced nyoki) is served traditionally on Thursdays. Dumpling-like, gnocchi are made from potatoes and flour, and are served with a variety of sauces (sughi).

Vegetables bought in the market or ordered in a restaurant, offer some delightful surprises. There are some incredible varieties of cauliflower (cavolfiore), for example the small, pointed green broccolo romano. Also recommended are spinach (spinaci) and chicory (cicoria) which are great side dishes steamed with garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. A salad of puntarelle (a type of chicory), tossed in olive oil and lemon and anchovy paste is to die for.

Tomatoes hold a special place in Italian hearts, for their color, fragrance, dietary benefits, and their symbols of warmth and prosperity. Italy produces a variety of tomatoes, which can be found as a base ingredient in recipes throughout the central and southern parts of this country. San Marzano tomatoes are oval-shaped and used mainly for producing dense sauces, at home or already canned. Ciliegini are small and round, shaped like cherries, and are extra sweet when in season. There's also the pizzutello, small, oval-shaped, and ideal semi-cooked to add flavor to pasta dishes. Though available all year round, summer is the best time for tomatoes, when they're at their ripest.

Roman Specialties

Many Roman dishes are based on offal like intestines, brains and tripe. Some other specialties of Rome are:

Saltimbocca, literally, "jump in the mouth" (veal scaloppini with prosciutto and sage)

Bucatini all'Amatriciana (pasta with a spicy tomato sauce with bacon)

Baccala alla Romana (salt cod stew)

Abbacchio alla Cacciatora (pan roasted suckling lamb)

Garofolato (meat stewed in tomatoes with olives)

Also Roman risotto (rice) and polenta (cornmeal) dishes are various and delicious.

What's in Season?

Porcini Mushrooms are available fresh basically around September/October and then March/April, depending on the required combination of warmth and rain. A popular dish is Risotto ai Funghi Porcini, or try a pasta, such as ravioli with porcini. They are divine. Dried porcini are used year round but nothing compares to the fragrance and texture of the fresh mushrooms (funghi).

Artichokes are around from about November to April. There are two most common ways to cook these. One is alla Romana (boiled/steamed), with mint, olive oil and garlic; the other is alla Giudia (deep fried).

 

Truffles are in season from around late-autumn to winter. This expensive and highly sought after delicacy was used as a medicine and aphrodisiac during ancient Greek and Roman times. Wild truffles form part of the tuber family. Located underground, they are collected with the help of female pigs or truffle dogs, who are able to detect their scent. The most popolar truffles are either the black, or even more valuable, the white kind. The best way to eat them is uncooked, delicately shaved on top of pasta or other dishes.

Food Stores

Ruggieri on Piazza Campo dei Fiori is a traditional alimentare (food shop) selling fresh cheeses and cold-cuts, appetizers, wines and drinks.

Castroni has a chain of exotic and specialty food stores. If you want a one-stop place to buy some Italian oils, sauces or vinegars, or if you're simply hankering for Marmite or cranberry juice, these stores are great. One of the largest of these is in Prati at via Cola di Rienzo, 196.

Franchi (beside Castroni), is the place to go if you want fantastic fresh Italian food. You can take away, or eat at the counter. From cheeses to pastas, roasted meats to the very popular supplì (breaded and fried rice balls with tomato and mozzarella), an excellent source if organizing a picnic in one of Rome's many splendid parks. In fact it's not too far from Piazza del Popolo, and Villa Borghese. Via Cola di Rienzo, 200-204 (at the corner of via Terenzio). PH:6864576/6874651

Apicius on via Giulia, 86, is a store specializing in oils and wines.

Restaurants

The Ghetto (a beautiful and historic area whose boundaries are within Largo Argentina, via Arenula, the river, and via del Teatro Marcello), abounds in restaurants serving Italian-Jewish cuisine. Their specialties are delicious. Taverna del Ghetto Kosher at via del Portico d'Ottavia, 7B, serves exquisite kosher dishes.

For high-end Italian restaurants around the centre, there are dozens of excellent choices. Of the better known restaurants you'll need reservations. There's Ciccia Bomba, via del Governo Vecchio, 76, or Hostaria dell'Orso, via Soldati, 5c. Medium-priced restaurants include Grappolo d'Oro, Piazza della Cancelleria, 80, or il Fico, Piazza del Fico, 25.

It would take you a very long time to exhaust the possibilities of Roman food, but if you're only staying in Rome, you might want to sample other regional Italian dishes. (It'd make sense to try Bolognese cuisine in Bologna if you're there.) Abruzzi, Toscana, Puglia, etc., all have distinctive cooking and are represented in restaurants in Rome.

 

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