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Ricotta cheese cake. Pasta and chickpea stew. Anchovies with endive. All of those dishes are generally noticed on menus all through Rome, but individuals might not understand they hint their origins to the town’s Jewish Ghetto, and the group that has referred to as it residence for greater than 2,000 years. (Simply look to the beloved fried artichoke, carciofi alla Giudia, which accurately means Jewish-style artichokes.)
There are three distinct teams of Jewish communities in Rome, every of which has contributed immensely to the town’s cultural and culinary treasure trove. The Italkim arrived again within the second century BCE, and have remained within the space ever since; the Sephardim of the Iberian Peninsula escaped to Rome through the Spanish Inquisition; and the Libyans moved right here within the Nineteen Sixties, when Jews had been fleeing many Arabic-speaking international locations (a lot of whom immigrated there as a result of they already spoke Italian, given Libya was as soon as a colony).
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On August 29, this historical past shall be celebrated in Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome’s Jewish Kitchen, a brand new cookbook exploring simply that: la cucina Ebraica Romana. Written by Jewish meals skilled Leah Koenig (who has additionally authored the tomes The Jewish Cookbook and Fashionable Jewish Cooking), the ebook goes deep on the historical past, tradition, and meals of the group that helped form a lot of Roman delicacies.
We spoke with Koenig, who relies in Brooklyn, in regards to the inspiration for the ebook—and her very favourite spots within the Jewish Ghetto.
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How did you determine on Jewish Rome as the main target for this cookbook?
My earlier ebook was The Jewish Cookbook, a 400-recipe behemoth spanning the whole thing of the Jewish meals world. So after I was desirous about what I wished my subsequent ebook to be, I knew I wished it to be extra private and extra centered on a particular a part of Jewish delicacies.
I’m not Roman, however Rome, in some ways, is answerable for my being a Jewish meals author. Once I first began writing full time, it was across the time that I acquired married, and we went on our honeymoon in Rome. I had been to Rome just a few instances previous to that, however I had by no means meaningfully related with the Roman Jewish ghetto.
We met all of those individuals, and had Shabbat dinner at this kosher caterer’s home. I got here throughout all of those meals that had been fully unfamiliar to me, as somebody who had grown up consuming Ashkenazi Jewish meals. And but, after I ate them, I instantly related to them. So, I wished to put in writing a love letter to Jewish Rome as a result of it gave a lot to me and I need to give one thing again to the group.
Have been you involved about tackling this topic as somebody who isn’t Roman?
I reached out to my buddy Micaela Pavoncello, who’s a tour information, and mentioned I wished her blessing to put in writing this ebook. I’m conscious of the truth that I’m not a part of the group. And he or she mentioned to me, These are tales that must be instructed. I’ve been wanting to put in writing this ebook for 20 years, however I’m a tour information. I’m not the particular person. Do it. I felt decided to concentrate on the story of the 16,000 or 17,000 Jews who nonetheless stay in Rome. It’s a vibrant, outsized group that’s very tight-knit nonetheless, in spite of everything these 1000’s of years.
Now, inform us: how can vacationers greatest faucet into the Jewish ghetto in Rome?
I might suggest a strolling tour with Micaela Pavoncello, who I discussed earlier than. She provides excursions of the Roman Jewish ghetto, beginning within the outdated synagogue and winding by the streets sharing the historical past. She’s so humorous and fascinating and educated. Her tour is a solution to see Rome otherwise, so even in the event you’re not Jewish your self, simply to have the ability to get that historic degree of historical past about Rome is price it.
And what about meals—the place would you ship somebody to eat Jewish Roman delicacies?
The Roman Jewish ghetto is form of just like the Lower East Side in Manhattan or Mile Finish in Montreal—now it’s trendy. And there are a number of eating places that promote conventional Roman Jewish meals, however one that’s undoubtedly price going to is Casalino Osteria. They make all the fried Roman meals, like fried artichokes, and the fried zucchini I used to be speaking about, they usually do superb recent pastas. They make a superb parmigiana—the Roman means, with no breading.
Then there’s a well-known 200-ish-year-old kosher bakery referred to as Boccione. There’s no signage. It’s simply this shriveled little storefront however you all the time know the place it’s as a result of there’s a line out the door. It’s run by these brusque girls who’re all cousins and sisters and grandmothers and whatnot. You must know what you need while you go in or they don’t have time for you. However what they’re recognized for is Pizza Ebraica. It is not truly pizza, however an almond flour cookie that has almonds, pine nuts, and dried and candied fruit and it’s actually, actually scrumptious. Additionally they make a bitter cherry and ricotta crostata that’s great.
For meat, there’s a restaurant referred to as Renato al Ghetto, they opened perhaps 5 years in the past and do a number of conventional meals with a twist. So we’re beginning to see the youthful era take a few of the dishes and replace them.
For those who’re fascinated with connecting and studying extra about Libyan Roman Jews, there’s a restaurant referred to as Little Tripoli, which is a kosher meat restaurant [meaning that no dairy is served]. They’ve couscous dishes and conventional Libyan dishes, and I’ve a number of them within the ebook, too. [Little Tripoli] just isn’t within the Ghetto neighborhood, it’s in Piazza Bologna, which is the place many of the Libyan Jews of Rome stay.
Every other necessary sights?
The principle synagogue is certainly a should; it’s referred to as the Great Synagogue of Rome, or Tempio Maggiore. And take note of the Portico de Ottavia. It’s what I named the ebook after and it’s an historic destroy that for a lot of a whole bunch of years was the fish market. It’s the place the Jews acquired a number of their protein and sustenance from, and the construction continues to be there. The principle drag stems out from the Portico construction and it is best to undoubtedly stroll up and down these streets. There are just a few Judaica retailers, another bakeries, a Jewish bookstore.
Earlier than the Jews had been pressured to stay within the ghetto, which was from across the 1550s by 1871, they lived throughout the river in Trastevere, which is now additionally a very hip neighborhood. There isn’t a ton of stuff you could nonetheless see from then, as a result of 1550 was a very long time in the past, however there may be this restaurant referred to as Spirito DiVino. It’s not a Jewish restaurant, nevertheless it’s inside an outdated constructing that was once a synagogue, and it’s the oldest synagogue construction in Rome, relationship again to round 1100.
When you’re over there, there’s a takeaway restaurant referred to as C’é Pasta…e Pasta. It’s a recent pasta restaurant owned by Roman Jews (who stay everywhere in the metropolis now), they usually even have a number of conventional Roman Jewish fare. It’s a few of the higher Roman Jewish meals that I’ve tried.
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