We had forgone several possible tours and instead took ourselves through the Vatican and the rest of the city. But then I found a tour that I just had to take. For anyone who knows me you won't be surprised to learn that this was an Italian food tour. Soon after finding it online I booked and clapped my hands together with a big smile on my face. Admittedly, I had a small bout of guilt when I considered that I would be wandering the city trying what was sure to be amazing food while Tim was working hard at the conference. I really did feel bad. But not for too long. Soon the guilt passed and I was planning my route across the city to where the tour would begin in the Testaccio neighborhood. As luck would have it Testaccio was right near our first hotel but since we had to move part way through I was now about an hour away if I were to walk. Instead of slogging over there I decided to take the metro and I arrived at my intended stop in a fraction of the time. Then with minor course corrections via Google maps I was able to find the rendezvous point where the tour would begin. Upon arrival I met our tour guide Jean-Luc who was very kind and welcoming as the rest of the group trickled in over the next few minutes. After everyone had arrived we went around and did introductions. And what do you know? About half the group (12 total) were from Wellington! What are the odds?! The rest of the group comprised Aussies, Americans and me, the strange hybrid US/short term Kiwi. :)
In preparation for this mash up of gustatory goodness I had skipped breakfast and so I had to smile when we began with the breakfast of champions: cornetti and tiramisu. We learned that cornetti is a pastry that closely resembles the famous French croissant but is made with less butter. Even so I can tell you that the little pastry was melt-in-your-mouth good. Apparently, this little shop, Barberini, is known for making their own cornetti fresh throughout the day. So whenever you just have to have a cornetti you know you can get it fresh at this place. :)
Since cornetti isn't enough for breakfast we then sampled what translates to "pick me up": tiramisu. I've only ever encountered this as a dessert but I was soon on board with this delectable concoction for breakfast. :) The classic, espresso-drenched lady fingers were topped with heavenly mascarpone cheese and served in an edible chocolate cup. Jean-Luc told us that Italians eat these in one bite so I figured I'd go for it. I was partially successful but thoroughly enjoyed my 1.3 bites of Italian tiramisu!!
Next we embarked on our first "marathon" of the day which landed us just a few steps down the block at our second destination: Volpetti.
Before having a browse inside the shop we sampled two meat selections and two types of cheese. First came the most incredible prosciutto di San Daniele (prosciutto) I've ever tasted. Now we really like prosciutto and get it once in while for a treat but this was beyond melt-in-your-mouth. I couldn't believe how good it was. This was followed by salame al Barolo (salami) that had wonderful flavor (but, honestly, couldn't compete with the prosciutto). :)
We moved on to the cheeses, first trying a pecorino al tartufo that had been aged four months and was beautifully creamy and light with interesting truffle flavor notes. Lastly, we sampled the major staple of parmigiano reggiano: what we know as "parmesan" this hard cheese had amazing, powerful flavor. Even so you couldn't help but love the rough texture and imagine yourself shaving some of this cheese on virtually any savory dish you might make at home. :)
Then we entered the shop and it was a veritable assault, in a very good way, on the senses. The shop itself was quite small and packed wall to wall with meats, cheeses, chocolates, oils and vinegars. I tried an aged balsamic vinegar so sweet and delicious you could serve it on desserts. Like so many things on this tour it was something I had never encountered before. I was dying to buy a bottle but worried about safely transporting it home (as we were leaving the next day). In retrospect I'm kicking myself for not buying it because I'm sure we could've figured out how to get it through security or have packed it away in our checked bags. Alas, I'll have to wait until we go back and then I won't hesitate! :)
Next we moved just around the corner to Volpetti Piu where we sampled the ultra famous "margherita" pizza. This pizzeria is owned by same folks that owned the shop we had just visited. Here we found places to sit down and listened to a mini "lecture" on various pizza related factoids. Pizza was originally developed as a way to use left over ingredients so you took whatever you had, threw it on a crust and baked it up. The first pizzeria was established in Naples, Italy, and then Jean Luc asked us to guess where the first pizzeria, outside of Italy, was located. One of the gentlemen on the tour guessed right when he said New York City. :)
Pizza Margherita was developed when a pizza maker, Raffaele Esposito, was commissioned to make three pizzas in honor of the Italian Queen Margherita. I know, you can see where this is going. One of the pizzas was made with red, white and green ingredients to represent the Italian flag: tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil leaves. Apparently, this was the queen's favorite and thereafter was named "pizza margherita". It has remained popular and is still served in every pizza place you might walk into in Rome. The ingredients are elegantly simple and incredibly delicious!
We also learned that you can prepare pizzas in a gas powered or wood fire oven. True, Italian pizza always comes in the shape of a pie (hence, pizza pie) and is prepared in a wood fire oven. According to modern day Italian law restaurants are not permitted to turn on their wood fire ovens before 6pm. And therefore if someone is advertising "authentic, Italian pizza" before 6pm you know they must've prepared it in a gas powered oven. For the life of me I can't seem to find out why this is! :)
The other type of pizza that you encounter everywhere in Rome is pizza "al taglio" or slabs of pizza where you go in, pick your flavor and they'll cut you as big a piece as you like. Then they throw it in the oven for a few minutes and serve it in pieces that you can actually pick up. :) We ate this kind of pizza most everyday when in Rome and even though I learned it wasn't the real deal it was nothing short of scrumptious!!
This is going to sound so strange but the next stop on the tour was a cemetery: Rome's only non-Catholic one (Il Cimitero Acattolico di Roma). We learned that the famed English romantic poets, John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley, have graves in this particular cemetery. I have to say it was a truly beautiful and tranquil place with lovely maintained grounds and every shape and size headstone you could imagine. The largest headstone, I kid you not, was a pyramid to enshroud the remains of Gaius Cestius, a Roman magistrate. Apparently, in 1660 when the pyramid of was rediscovered there was nothing inside and since then it's been sealed shut.
In Rome every neighborhood has it's own market and so next we visited the Testaccio Market for some more goodies. Upon arrival you could stop at any number of family-run stalls to pick up cheeses, bread, fruits, vegetables and meats.
First we gathered some fresh tomatoes and together with basil, olive oil, and salt and pepper we had what would top our traditional Italian bruschetta. The crusty bread had just come out of the oven and we each took a piece and rubbed a partial garlic clove across the surface to capture the flavor. Then putting it all together the tomato/basil mixture was heaped on the bread and let's just say we devoured this mouth watering concoction in record time. Again even though the ingredients are so simple the flavors are amazing together!!
Next up we moved to a stall where we got to try what I had been excited about the whole tour: buffalo mozzarella! Most places will serve regular mozzarella, from cow's milk, but sometimes you can find mozzarella made from water buffalo milk and it is SO delicious! With some of the tomatoes and basil we still had from our last stop we tried the mozzarella di bufala and I was in love. :) Two thumbs way up!
Our last stop at the market had us learning how to spot real Italian cannoli. So there are two things to know when searching out the real deal. First, the mix that fills the cannoli shell must be made from sweetened ricotta cheese. Second, the shell must only be filled after you order it to ensure the maximum freshness. Within a minute or two our cannolis were filled with sweetened ricotta topped with crushed pistachios and we set to munching. And what can I say? You cannot go wrong with ricotta cheese - they were simply delightful and had me smiling like an idiot. :)
We settled down around a long table and starting pouring wine as the pasta selections were presented. First, there was a hand made pasta, cacio e pepe, that was simply linguine pasta flavored with cheese and black pepper. I know, it sounds boring but nothing could be further from the truth. The flavors were surprising and just downright incredible! I could've eaten just that one and been perfectly happy. :) Second, we had a amatriciana that was served in a tomato sauce mixed with cured pork cheek and pecorino cheese (one we tried earlier in the day). I have to say that I've never tried any kind of cheek, that I know, but decided to go for it. It was unbelievably tender and added a nice salty/savory aspect to the dish. Third, we had pasta with carbonara sauce mixed with egg, bacon, cheese and black pepper. While I enjoyed all three selections the handmade pasta was my favorite - I only wish I could more accurately described to you how it tasted. The best pasta I've had to date. :)
I wasn't feeling too "full" until we left the restaurant but I told myself that I would still try anything else they put in front of us! I was determined to finish the course! With the whole group moving noticeably slower we made our way to 00100 Pizza where we tried suppli alla genovese. These were cubes of slow cooked beef, wrapped in rice and deep fried. I know, how could it not be good?! Earlier in the trip Tim and I had tried these not knowing what they were. I scarfed one down and enjoyed the savory flavor.
Our last stop was Giolitti, a gelato shop that's been open for 99 years! After stepping inside and looking around I thought, "yeah, this is going to be good". Before trying any of the good stuff we sat down to take in our last lesson on Italian food. First, we had to discuss the differences between gelato and ice cream. While many say that they're the same thing, in fact they are very different. Ice cream is made with more cream than milk, is mixed fast and is stored at a lower temperature. Compared to ice cream, gelato has a higher percentage of milk than cream, is mixed at a slower speed and is stored at a higher temperature. For this last reason you should never have to pry gelato from its container as you have to do sometimes with ice cream. :)
Next, we discussed how to spot real gelato because supposedly a large percentage of the stuff you find around Rome isn't the genuine product. Jean Luc said that you can tell the gelato is what he calls "fluffy puffy" or the fake stuff by keeping a two things in mind. First, real gelato is never piled up high above the lip of the container in the case. If it is then it's been made from a powder mix and has had more air whipped into it than the real stuff (hence the name "fluffy puffy"). Second, the colors of certain flavors will tell you if it's real or not. Pistachio gelato should be light green but if it's more like "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle green" then it's the fake stuff. He actually made that reference to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. :) If there isn't any pistachio to check out you can next look at the banana flavor. He asked us if we had ever eaten a banana and everyone responded, "Well, yes, of course". Then he asked us, what is the color of the part of the banana that you eat? Cream/light yellow and that's the color of real banana gelato. Lastly, if nothing else look for the mint gelato and note its color. Real mint gelato will be completely white because it's made with mint essence.
Okay, finally to the good part where we bellied up to the counter to inspect the flavors and pick any two to try. Everyone was being noncommittal so I decided to go first and ordered a specialty flavor: zabaione (egg nog). To go with that I also ordered the crema flavor (cream, eggs and cinnamon) and had them topped with fresh cream. Again, go big or go home, right?! Both flavors were wonderful and then, almost abruptly, our tour had come to an end. :( I'm so happy that I decided to go for it - it was a wonderful experience and I'd do it again in a heartbeat, hopefully with Timmy next time.
After saying our goodbyes, I walked back into the city center near the Colosseum with a few of the folks from the tour. From there I we parted ways and I waddled back to our hotel where, in a flash of genius, I sat down and wrote myself some notes about the tour and each place we visited. Good thing I did as it's taken me a ridiculously long to time to write this post!
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