We love Italian food! During our month in Rome we made sure to try some new foods, not just eat our traditional favorites.

Artichokes – This spring and summer vegetable is usually prepared deep fried or braised.  We ate artichokes cooked both ways. Often called Jewish style fried artichokes, the vegetable is deep fried until crispy and eaten with fingers. This dish, along with many codfish and zucchini recipes, originated between 1500 and 1800 when the Italian government enforced a curfew on the Jewish community. Gates to the Jewish ghetto were locked at sunset each evening. Italians also enjoy artichokes braised with olive oil, white wine, garlic, mint, and parsley.

• 

• 

Pasta –  We ate a variety of pasta dishes while in Rome, including: 1) pasta al pomodoro = sauce of olive oil, coarsely chopped fresh tomatoes, and fresh herbs such as basil 2) spaghetti AOP = spaghetti tossed with aglio (garlic), olio (olive oil), and pepperonchino (red chili pieces) plus 3) pasta arrabiata = literally means “angry” pasta because of red chili peppers added to sauce of tomatoes and chopped garlic. Occasionally we even devoured a pasta dish with mushrooms in a tomato-based sauce. 

• 

Bruschetta – What a delicious appetizer! Historians believe it was created when 15th-century olive oil makers would toast bread over a fire and then taste test their olive oil on the bread. And of course over the years garlic, tomatoes, or olives were added as well.

• 

• 

Pizza – Yes, we had to eat pizza while in Italy. Roman pizza is usually prepared with a thin crust and baked in a wood oven. We did find a nearby pizza shop that made thick crust pizza on large sheet pans and cut the servings into rectangle shapes. It was tasty, but we prefer thin crust pizza.

• 

• 

Coffees – We are not coffee connoisseurs, but we do like to taste coffee drinks that are unique to a country. We stayed away from straight espresso, but tried several hot beverages that included the potent caffeine drink. We liked latte macchiato. The name means milked that is stained or marked. Our drink was a cup of hot milk stained with a shot of espresso. We did not care for caffe con panna, which is coffee with whipped cream. Our serving was more like coffee poured over chunks of cream that had a near-butter consistency. We were very interested in trying marocchino, described in menus as coffee with milk mousse and cocoa. It sounded a lot like a mocha, which is one of our favorite hot beverages.  During one of our last mornings in Rome we ordered marocchinos at a very quaint cafe. The first sips from our tiny cups were a disappointment. Lots of espresso, very little milk mousse, and an almost non-existent amount of cocoa powder.  We learned later by reading other marocchino descriptions that the cocoa quantity is usually a dusting or a sprinkle. We prefer more chocolate. 

• 

• 

Pastries – Italians love pastries with their coffee. And so of course we had to further our knowledge of Italian cuisine and help the local economy by eating a wide variety of the sweet treats. Our two favorites: 1) sfogliatina alla panna (cream puff), especially when filled with chocolate (bottom left in photo below) and 2) Sfogliatella, which means “small, thin leaf/layer”. The pastry’s texture resembles stacked leaves and is often filled with ricotta, almond paste or candied citron.  We only devoured Nutella-filled ones (right in the picture below) and we definitely approve of that flavor!

• 

Tiramisu – Not too far from Piazza Navona is Two Sizes, a shop that only sells beverages and large or small servings of tiramisu. This pudding-like dessert, with a name that means pick me up or cheer me up, is made with eggs, sugar, mascarpone cheese, and coffee and/or cocoa.  We savored three large servings of tiramisu, each a different flavor so we could all get a taste of the delicious and popular pistachio, caramel, and traditional varieties. 

• 

• 

• 

Panna Cotta – This is our 2nd favorite Italian dessert. The name means cooked cream in Italian and the cream is usually sweetened, thickened with gelatin, and then molded. Often coffee and vanilla are added for flavoring. Our order of panna cotta included a strawberry coulis poured over the top, which made the dessert both beautiful and extra tasty.  Two other common sauces are caramel and chocolate, our favorite addition to panna cotta.  

• 

Gelato – We love ice cream, so the fact that gelato is our favorite Italian dessert should come as no surprise. Gelato differs from ice cream in several ways. First, gelato has more cream than milk and is not made with eggs. Second, it is churned at a lower speed. And third, gelato is stored at a slightly higher temperature, which makes it easier to scoop than ice cream. We visited quite a few gelato shops and enjoyed the cold, creamy confectionery almost every day during our month in Italy! And we displayed our adventurousness by tasting many yummy fruit and chocolatey flavors. 

• 

• 

•