L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano Agretti Pasquino craves the taste of spring O n t h e f i r s t w e e k e n d i n May, near the e n d o f t h e lockdown, the goddess Flora returns to Rome. At her smile, plane trees bud along the L u n g o t e v e r e d e ' C e n c i . Cherry trees blossom on the Japanese Promenade in EUR's Parco Centrale del Lago. On the Aventine Hill, opposite the Circus Max- i m u s w h e r e h e r t e m p l e once stood, roses bloom on the menorah-shaped paths of the Roseto Comunale. With a wave of Flora's hand, the scent of the wis- t e r i a d r a p e d o v e r t h e A u r e l i a n W a l l f l o w s through Porta del Popolo a n d f l o o d s t h e C e n t r o Storico. Virginia creeper and bougainvillea cascade d o w n t h e f a ç a d e o f t h e Hotel Raphael in Piazza Navona. Jasmine and hon- e y s u c k l e p o u r f r o m t h e roofs, splash over the bal- conies, and trickle down t h e l i n t e l s o n V i a i n Piscinula. The ponytailed girls on bikes tracing figure eights around Bruno's statue in the vacant Campo de' Fiori, the bikinied college stu- dents sunbathing on the rooftops of San Lorenzo, t h e m a t r o n s i n V e r s a c e bathrobes reading Elena Ferrante on their flagstone p a t i o s i n M o n t e v e r d e Vecchio, the widows stand- ing in line to pawn jewelry i n P i a z z a d e l M o n t e d i Pietà savor the fragrance. But it is not enough to smell spring. They must taste it, too, so on Monday, the first day in eight weeks t h a t t h e y h a v e b e e n allowed to venture more t h a n 2 0 0 m e t e r s f r o m home, except to walk dogs or do the groceries, these daughters of Flora flock to city parks and forage for field greens. After a long q u a r a n t i n e , t h e y c r a v e misticanza salad. Borage and chicory, dan- delion and endive, sorrel and lamb's lettuce grow e v e r y w h e r e , f r o m t h e c l i p p e d h e d g e s o f V i l l a D o r i a P a m p h i l i t o t h e unmown lawns Caffarella Park, but agretti, more precious than truffles, is found only in the ditches n e a r R o m e ' s s p r a w l i n g a r t i c h o k e f i e l d s . A l s o known as barbe di frate, because its fronds resemble a monk's beard, this elusive b u t s u c c u l e n t g r e e n i s p r i z e d b y B e n e d i c t i n e herbalists, Roman house- wives, and Michelin chefs. A salt-water plant that o n c e f l o u r i s h e d o n t h e beaches of Ostia and the marshes of Anzio, agretti was originally cultivated f o r i n d u s t r y . U n t i l t h e nineteenth century, tons of this compact shrub were burned to form soda ash, crucial in the manufacture of soap and glass. When m o r e e f f i c i e n t m e t h o d s w e r e d e v e l o p e d , a g r e t t i was no longer harvested. For the bourgeoisie, the now useless weed served no practical purpose, but the proletariat, clinging to rural customs even in fac- t o r y n e i g h b o r h o o d s , e m p l o y e d i t i n t h e i r kitchens. The chive-like stems, sold for pennies in open-air markets, were so versatile, whether to gar- nish poached or brined fish or to season stewed arti- chokes or boiled potatoes. Agretti can be steamed and dressed with olive oil and lemon, sautéed with p a n c e t t a a n d p o u r e d o n c a p e l l i n i , w h i s k e d w i t h e g g s a n d P a r m e s a n a n d b a k e d i n t o a f r i t t a t a , topped on white pizza with m o z z a r e l l a a n d c h e r r y tomatoes, or tossed with a r u g u l a , e s c a r o l e , a n d radicchio and drizzled with v i n a i g r e t t e f o r a t a n g y salad. B r i t i s h a n d A m e r i c a n gourmets, who turned the once marginalized green i n t o a t r e n d y d e l i c a c y , struggle to describe its fla- v o r . R a w a g r e t t i t a s t e s somewhat like samphire or sea fennel but is chewier and grassier. Its chloro- phyll bursts in the mouth, l e a v i n g a s l i g h t l y s o u r , slightly acid residue that reminds some people of p i c k l e d c a p e r s . C o o k e d a g r e t t i i s m o r e l i k e spinach, but its minerality is more pronounced. "It t a s t e s l i v e l i e r , " a f f i r m s Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun, " f u l l o f t h e e n e r g y o f spring." Glaucus became a sea god by eating a magical herb. Roman women reju- venate themselves by eat- ing agretti. Members of Trastevere's Urban Foraging Club g a t h e r i n f r o n t o f S a n t a Maria dell'Orto. Despite t h e r e q u i r e d m e d i c a l masks, the ladies look love- ly in their spring dresses. Each carries a wicker bas- k e t w i t h a d i g g i n g f o r k , k i t c h e n s c i s s o r s , a n d a mesh bag. As swifts cry and s w o o p o v e r h e a d , t h e y march up Via Anicia, turn r i g h t o n t o V i a d e i G e n o v e s i , c r o s s P o n t e P a l a t i n o , a n d c o m b t h e entire Circus Maximus for tasty treats. After lunch, they return h o m e v i a L u n g o t e v e r e A v e n t i n o a n d s p e n d t h e l a t e a f t e r n o o n a t V i l l a Sciarra, once the gardens o f J u l i u s C a e s a r . T h e y admire the park's crum- bling grandeur: the aban- doned aviary, the statues of t h e m u s e s , t h e c r o w d e d turtle pond. They imagine Furrina, the Roman water goddess, reclining on its plush lawn or Caesar him- s e l f c a v o r t i n g w i t h C l e o p a t r a o n i t s s t o n e benches. I f w e a r e t o b e l i e v e Shakespeare's play about h e r l a s t d a y s , C l e o p a t r a regretted her youthful dal- l i a n c e w i t h C a e s a r . " M y s a l a d d a y s , " s h e s i g h s , "when I was green in judg- ment." Her words puzzle scholars. Is her point that youth, like salad, is raw, or that salad is highly flavored and youth loves high fla- v o r s , o r t h a t h e r b s a r e youth's food just as milk is babes' and meat is men's? The Bard does not explain. B u t f o r t h e s e w o m e n , who have survived a pan- demic to stand here at sun- set with appetites intact, C l e o p a t r a ' s m e a n i n g i s clear enough: all flesh is grass. Pasquino's secretary is Anthony Di Renzo, profes- s o r o f w r i t i n g a t I t h a c a C o l l e g e . Y o u m a y r e a c h h i m a t d i r e n z o @ ithaca.edu. ANTHONY DI RENZO LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Agretti are tangy, versatile and, in Rome, they are synonym with Spring (Photo: Dreamstime)

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