{"id":3062,"date":"2014-06-10T12:20:14","date_gmt":"2014-06-10T10:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rickzullo.com\/?p=3062"},"modified":"2021-09-26T13:43:33","modified_gmt":"2021-09-26T11:43:33","slug":"food-tours-in-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/food-tours-in-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Tours in Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ricksPeople who read my blog regularly know that I often write about food traditions and regional specialties in Italy.\u00a0 I admit that I\u2019m no expert, but that doesn\u2019t stop me from diving fork-first into the topic.\u00a0 Food plays such an important role in the culture at large, that any blog about life in Italy would be incomplete without an occasional discussion of the culinary influences.<\/p>\n

Last month in Rome I was fortunate enough to have two very different \u00a0encounters with the Roman food scene.\u00a0 First, I tasted the best of the cucina romana<\/em> in Trastevere, and then I got to see where some of the food actually comes from.<\/p>\n

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Eating Italy Food Tours in Rome<\/h2>\n

Technically speaking, preparations for my Rome food tour<\/a> began 24 hours in advance.\u00a0 I made the wise decision to heed the repeated warnings of Maria, my contact from Eating Italy Food Tours, to \u201cCome hungry.\u201d\u00a0 Good thing I took her at her word.\u00a0 And honestly, after three weeks of traveling through this culinary wonderland, it was about time to give my stomach a day off.<\/p>\n

That morning, I had only a cappuccino for breakfast.\u00a0 By the time we began our gastronomic treasure hunt through the Trastevere neighborhood at lunchtime, I was, indeed, quite hungry.<\/p>\n

\"eating<\/a><\/p>\n

We started out with just a light pastry.\u00a0 Delicious and just enough to tempt us.\u00a0 I quickly realized, to my delight, that this was going to be an exquisite marathon, and NOT a fast-food sprint, or one of those eating competitions that you see on various food shows.\u00a0 However, it wasn\u2019t long into the tour before we had a chance to sample what passes for \u201cfast-food\u201d in Rome: the suppl\u00ec.<\/em>\u00a0 It\u2019s a bite-size morsel of fried goodness, filled with rice, cheese, and tomato sauce.\u00a0 Similar to the Sicilian arancino,<\/em> but\u2014well, let\u2019s not start that debate.\u00a0 Yet.<\/p>\n

\"food<\/a>
Suppli<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most of the places we visited were long-established fixtures in the Trastevere neighborhood.\u00a0 The types of Mom & Pop stores that, when regular customers enter, the proprietors know what they want before the customer does.\u00a0 Salutations and warm greetings all around, free samples offered, lots of neighborly cheer.\u00a0 Even if you\u2019re not buying that day, just stop in to say \u201cciao!\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, these shops generally have relationships with the highest quality providers in and around Rome.\u00a0 For example, at the Antica Norcineria Trastevere, they go out into the surrounding hill towns of the Castelli Romani<\/em> to get the very best porchetta in all of Lazio.\u00a0 Every. Single. Day.\u00a0 And they just get one, so don\u2019t be late for lunch!<\/p>\n

\"eating<\/a>
porchetta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another case in point is the Antica Caciara, where they have a dizzying selection of cured meats, wines, and other local products.\u00a0 But they\u2019re famous for their Pecorino Romano (they raise their own sheep for the milk).\u00a0 If you\u2019ve never had the real thing, it\u2019s a wonderfully salty and oily hard cheese that pairs so well with typical Roman pasta dishes.\u00a0 But it finds its true soul mate every spring when the fresh fava beans become available. \u00a0Roman families traditionally enjoy this combination every year on the first of May.<\/p>\n

\"rick<\/a>
I love the interesting names given to these products.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Trastevere has long been known as the most Roman of Rome\u2019s neighborhoods.\u00a0 I think that\u2019s still mostly true, even as they struggle to fight off the encroachment of mainstream consumerism.\u00a0 Spending a slow day wandering the side streets in search of authentic food traditions really helped me connect with this idea.\u00a0 People here still care about their food, who makes it, and where the ingredients come from.<\/p>\n

If you want to know Rome\u2014or any city in Italy, for that matter\u2014share some of its local food with the people who grow it, prepare it, and serve it to their customers. Put aside your checklist of famous monuments for a day and take a food tour in Rome.\u00a0 In Italy, it\u2019s important to experience the culture with all your senses.<\/p>\n

Olive Oil<\/h2>\n

Good food starts with high quality ingredients.\u00a0 And perhaps no ingredient is more integral to Italian cooking<\/a> than olive oil.\u00a0 Fortunately, the area surround Rome produces some of the best olive oil in the world.\u00a0 It may not be as well-known as some other olive producing regions, but the savvy connoisseurs are well aware of its considerable merits.<\/p>\n

I met Guido, a native Roman, and his Australian wife Sally in the Sabine Hills\u00a0to learn a bit about cultivating olive trees and olive oil production.\u00a0 Growing up in Rome, Guido and his brother often accompanied their father into the countryside on the weekends to buy top quality products and seasonal ingredients directly from local producers.\u00a0 Wine, fruit, vegetables, cheese, and of course, olive oil.<\/p>\n

\"olive<\/a><\/p>\n

A few years ago, he and Sally decided to give up big city life for the peaceful charm in the village of Toffia, about 45-50 minutes outside of Rome.\u00a0 Now instead of fighting traffic and breathing diesel exhaust, they arrange cooking holidays, along with wine and olive oil tours for their company Convivio in the lush, green countryside.\u00a0 I joined them for half a day to improve my understanding of what goes into making high-quality oil, from tree to table.<\/p>\n

Our first stop was near the village of Canneto to behold, \u201cOlivone,\u201d Europe\u2019s largest olive tree, more than 7 meters (22 feet) in circumference around the base (and one of the oldest, estimated at more than 2,000 years). \u00a0And yes, it still produces fruit.<\/p>\n

\"olive<\/a><\/p>\n

Some interesting facts about olive trees and olive oil:<\/p>\n