One would expect a rich, high-sounding cuisine from a region like Lazio, one that is reminiscent of the banquets of Imperial Rome or the ostentation of the papal courts. But it is nothing like that. The gastronomy of Lazio is the most plebian of the entire peninsula. It is a gastronomy of pastoral rather than agricultural tradition, a cuisine that is not particularly refined but that is savory and creative. One eats well and relatively inexpensively in a Roman trattoria. As a matter of fact, there is a popular saying that goes: 'the more you spend, the worse you eat!' It is a cuisine that seasons with pork fat. Food is fried with lard, not oil; pasta is seasoned with guanciale (bacon from the jowls of the pig), and beans are flavored with pork rind. Rome is the kingdom of suppli (rice croquettes filled with meat sauce), and panzerotti (similar to ravioli) filled with ham and cheese, both of which are fried. They are eaten as an antipasto, but are even better as a tasty snack to be consumed while visiting the ancient monuments and palaces that fill the Eternal City.
Among the typical regional pasta dishes that have become popular throughout the country are spaghetti alla carbonara (made with guanciale, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper), penne all'arrabbiata (with tomato sauce and lots of hot red pepper), and lastly, bucatini all'amatriciana (with tomato sauce, guanciale, hot red pepper, and pecorino cheese). This last dish really is from Amatrice, the town where its name originates, in the Lazio province of Rieti. If you would like to taste a first course that is rarely found in any trattoria outside of Rome, then order pagliata con rigatoni. The pagliata corresponds to the duodenum part of the intestine, most often of veal, and its taste comes from the chyme, a particular substance which is found there. Those with refined palates may turn up their noses, but if they make the effort, they will discover a great delicacy!
The best among the entrées are abbacchio, succulent milk-fed baby lamb, wild boar, and suckling pig, while beef and veal are less popular. Another typical plebian dish, one that might follow the pagliata, is coda alla vaccinara (oxtail simmered with tomatoes, onions, carrots, and celery).
Visitors who have already been to Rome and wish to see something of the surrounding area should strike out for the Castelli Romani (the hills lying to the southeast), where it is traditional for the Romans to spend their Sundays in October. Especially worth a visit are Frascati (and its famous Villa Lancellotti and Villa Aldobrandini), Grottaferrata, Nemi, Ariccia (the Sagra della Porchetta is held here on the first Sunday of September), Albano, and Castel Gandolfo, the summer residence of the Pope. Be sure to go to one of the typical wine cellars that abound in the area for a sampling of the famous porchetta (roast suckling pig on a spit) and the local white wines: the classic Frascati, the Marino, the Velletri, the Colli Albani.
From Castel Gandolfo head north toward Viterbo, the home of the thirteenth-century Palazzo Papale, the ancient residence of the popes, and from there to Tuscania and Tarquinia in the land of the Etruscans. You can even try an Etruscan dish, the minestra tuscia, a delicate vegetable and semolina soup served with grated Parmesan cheese and a glass of white wine.
from: http://www.italydaily.it |
