Food and Wine
Food
A classic Roman pizza at Nuovo Mondo in Testaccio; Read more here
The cuisine from this region is special to me. I know it the best, but also will never tire of it. First, for the antipasti, I will focus on two specifically Roman appetizers, these are the suppli and fiori di zucca. You can find suppli at almost any place where pizza al taglio (pizza by the slice) is sold or on the menu at a ‘sit down’ pizzeria. To ‘do as the Romans’ you should eat the pizza al taglio for lunch, or a snack, whenever you are hungry. This is when the suppli comes in handy. You can always dart into a taglio shop and grab a suppli for the road; they usually cost 1 euro. If you find yourself in the Vatican area, take a little detour to Bonci’s Pizzarium, the premium experience for pizza al taglio. He also makes some delicious suppli. Sitting down and having pizza tonda (or the full round pizza) is a dinner affair. You will find a few proper pizzerie open during the lunch hours, but these are catering more to tourists’ schedules. So, when you go for dinner in a Roman pizzeria such as Da Remo in Testaccio, Formula Uno in San Lorenzo, Ai Marmi or IVO in Trastevere (to name a few that I didn’t include in my restaurant section below but certainly vouch for) be sure to order your own full pizza and have a suppli to start.
Un Suppli Classico (the classic Roman Suppli)
The origin of suppli comes from creativity in the kitchen in which nonne or mamme (grandmothers or mothers) would make use of the leftover rice, tomato sauce, a little beef and mozzarella by creating palm size balls and frying them up for snacks. The mozzarella should become soft on the inside and when you break the morsel in half, the string of mozzarella can hang in the middle, like a telephone line. Hence, the ‘full’ name of the snack is suppli al telefono. I recommend heading to the Casa del Suppli at Re di Roma for truly an outstanding representation. In Trastevere, don’t miss Ai Suppli on Via San Francesco a Ripa. Now, you can find trendy variations on the traditional suppli. They do a pretty good spin at the handful of Trapizzino locations around the city. Look out for an amatriciana or cacio e pepe variety. The specifically Roman Fiori di Zucca is a fried zucchini blossom filled with mozzarella and anchovy. Even if you are not a big ‘fishy’ fan, I recommend you try this traditional starter. The anchovy is not so overpowering and, in some places, you can even get them senza (or without) the anchovy.
The Roman style pizza is a thinner crust as opposed to the thicker crust of a Neopolitan style pizza. Therefore, if you go to a traditional Roman pizzeria expect crisp and thin crust. (There are quite a few good Neapolitan style pizzerie in Rome as well; Da Michele and Sorbillo that I mention in the Napoli entry now have locations in Rome. I was eavesdropping on a conversation of Neapolitans waiting in line at the Sorbillo in Rome, however, and I heard one woman essentially say, ‘yes in Rome the quality is excellent and the pizza scratches the itch, but it is not the same as eating Neapolitan pizza in Naples; it is something in the water’.) I would agree that there is at least a difference in atmosphere, so first read my Campania section and visit Napoli (if possible!), but if you have limited meals, go Roman in Rome and save the thick crust for your Napoli experience.
Una Carbonara in the forefront (my favorite of the four holy Roman pasta pillars) and Amatriciana in the background
There are four pillars in Roman pasta: the carbonara, amatriciana, cacio e pepe and gricia. I encourage you to order all four at some point during your stay in Rome. For secondi, I must say ‘gasp’ there are other regions that I prefer. A classic coda alla vaccinara (oxtail) is an exception. I also go for the baccala, saltimbocca and abbacchio (lamb). So, I guess there are still quite a few typical Roman seconds I vouch for, ha. In terms of contorni (side dishes), I love the bitter green cicoria (get it ripassata if you have a choice) and the seasonal puntarella salad (crunchy and curly turnip tops with a salty anchovy dressing); it is usually available late fall through winter.
I will mention ten fantastic places to visit in the countryside of Rome. Besides Rome, where all roads lead, (I am sure I have hammered in the clichéd Rome quotes now), there are pockets of areas to explore in Lazio. You will find that the regional cuisine is similar inside and outside of Rome. You can have a more bucolic experience by eating a Sunday meal in a town that makes up the Castelli Romani. These special towns are located in the hills south of Rome. I highlight the town of Frascati , but other notable towns which are wonderful daytrips are Ariccia, home of the delicious porchetta (supple roasted pork) and a great representation of the fraschetta culture. A fraschetta is almost like a picnic style restaurant experience, with long wooden tables, family style dishes on plastic plates, perfect for a relaxing meal in the countryside. A restaurant now called the Trattoria Pigneto Roma emulates this experience in the gentrified and trendy Roman neighborhood of Pigneto, if you do not have time to go beyond the city confines. Another branch of the same establishment is called I Porchettoni is located in the also young and lively university neighborhood of San Lorenzo.
Wine
Conjuring longstanding nostalgia for Frascati Superiore
The region of Lazio has abundant treasures, but it is not known as Italy’s greatest wine region. Personally, I would recommend trying the Frascati Superiore. It is produced in the Castelli Romani region, where the namesake is located. I certainly have more of a sentimental attachment to this wine, as I started drinking it upon arriving in Rome to study in 2007. As my taste buds have changed, I do not seek it out as frequently, but I encourage you to try and share your observations. Also the ‘superiore’ version of Frascati does have the DOCG designation, and they are certainly more refined wines than the standard Frascati. The Frascati Superiore must have 70% of a Malvasia Bianca di Candia or Malvasia del Lazio (known locally as Malvasia Puntinata). Still, for a cheap house wine, a ‘standard’ Frascati can be just the right fit.
Frank, a friend, who is a sommelier and enthusiastic proponent of the natural wine movement, suggested a bellone from the region of Lazio. He explained that it is native to the region and ancient (even cited by Pliny the Elder!) so certainly worth a try.