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THE CUISINE
Roman cuisine is amongst the tastiest
in Italy. The more authentic dishes are prepared with simple
"poor" ingredients; pasta, tripe, entrails, dried
cod "baccalà", broad beans, artichokes, brains
and ox tail, however there is no shortage of rich dishes
such as spring lamb, kid, roast pork and various seafood
dishes. Usually lunch begins with an appetizer "antipasto":
smallgoods, marinated or pickled vegetables, olives, bruschetta
and shell fish. There winning force are the first courses:
spaghetti alla carbonara, bucatini all'amatriciana, penne
with chilli tomato sauce, gnocchi alla romana, spaghetti
with garlic and oil, fettuccine with butter or tomato sauce.
Country style soups are part of traditional
roman cuisine: pasta and bean soup, chick pea soup, lentil
soup, as well as potato gnocchi with tomato sauce.
Main courses are meat or fish dishes:
beef stew, spring lamb, oven roasted kid, chicken with capsicums,
spring lamb alla cacciatora, stewed tripe with tomato and
mint, ox tail "alla vaccinara", dried cod in a
light sauce or fried with batter, ciriole, stewed squid
with peas.
Fresh cheeses include: ricotta and
mozzarella. Dessert: fresh fruit or fruit salad, gelati,
sweet buns, "mostaccioli" (honey and nut biscuits),
"pangiallo" (dried fruit and nut slice), "cavallucci"
(almond cookies), and ricotta torte.
Amongst the wines, whites from the
roman castles area stand out: Frascati, Monteporzio, Marino,
Albano, Lanuvio, Genzano and Velletri. Malvasia from Grottaferrata,
is particularly valuable. Amongst the reds: Cesanese d'Olevano
produced in the roman castles area, Baccanale from Campagnano,
Torre Ercolana, Colle Picchioni and Velletris' special
reserve reds.
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