L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS and tortellini. The best cuts of beef and pork and free- range chicken, as well as all the cured varieties of meat, local and imported, fill the market's several meat coun- ters. Tripe is available for t h a t s p e c i a l R o m a n d i s h , t r i p p a a l l a R o m a n a . T h e cheese counters, resplendent w i t h l o c a l a n d n a t i o n a l brands, are especially entic- ing to the tourist because slices can be shrink-wrapped and taken home. The fresh f i s h c o u n t e r s a r e s t o c k e d with scores of Mediterranean species. Along with a wide v a r i e t y o f f r e s h l y b a k e d breads, the market has excel- lent pizza al taglio, which can be enjoyed in a small dining area. After coffee and a cornetto at the local bar with its very affable barista, we stopped b y t h e s m a l l e r M e r c a t o dell'Unità nearby, on Via Cola di Rienzo. With a limit- ed selection of fruits and veg- etables on the day we visited, it serves roughly the same upper-class neighborhood as Trionfale. It is uncrowded and worth a visit. There are similar small markets in the historic cen- ter. One of our favorites is the well-hidden Mercato Rionale Campo Marzio in Piazza Monte d'Oro, just s o u t h o f P i a z z a A u g u s t o Imperatore, where the mar- k e t s e r v i c e s R o m e ' s s u r - rounding upscale neighbor- h o o d s . I t s p r o p r i e t o r s p r o v i d e c l o s e , p e r s o n a l attention. Though small, it is well stocked with an excel- lent selection of fresh fish, fruits, vegetables, and flow- ers. It also includes a café and an inexpensive lunch c o u n t e r t h a t o f f e r s p a s t a d i s h e s , s e r v e d o n p a p e r plates, pizza al taglio, and inexpensive wine served in plastic cups. Locals know where to eat well and inex- pensively even in the heart of Rome. Another of our favorites is the small vegetable market i n P i a z z a d e l l e C o p p e l l e , steps from the famous Ris- torante Maccheroni. Its per- s o n a l s e r v i c e a n d l i m i t e d selection of vegetables and fruit are also designed to meet the shopping needs of o n l y t h e l o c a l neighborhood. For fresh fish, the patrons can walk a few steps west of the piazza to one of Rome's best fish markets, where the shopper receives the same excellent personal service. Small is always better. It seems that tourism has radically changed the nature of the famous Campo de' Fiori. While it still has a limited selection of fruits and vegetables, its authen- ticity has been eclipsed by the many vendors selling tourist items to the many tourists who roam its crowd- ed aisles. It appears geared m o r e t o t h e t o u r i s t t r a d e than the surrounding neigh- borhood, though locals do shop there for some items. The following day we vis- ited the small, unassuming, o p e n - a i r M e r c a t o S a n Cosimato in Trastevere. It is little known and seldom visited by Rome's tourists and a good place to visit and have lunch in a nearby café. T h e m a r k e t h a s n o t b e e n remodeled, as a result, it retains the atmosphere of its original outdoor shopping area that once catered to a working-class clientele. But now, with its array of fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish, it caters to a clientele able to afford the local real-estate prices. Our next stop was further out yet from the historical center at the Mercato di Testaccio. In its relatively new location, its stalls and other spaces, especially its bright, sun-filled, central e n c l o s u r e , h a v e b e e n upgraded, giving the market a modern look without com- p r o m i s i n g t h e m a r k e t ' s ambiance. Once an outlying section of Rome, Testaccio is n o w o n e o f R o m e ' s m o s t desired neighborhoods, with real-estate prices equal to its new-found status. Its selec- t i o n o f p r o d u c t s a n d i t s prices are now comparable to those found in the other Roman markets. Surrounding the market are full-service restaurants and an excellent wine bar t h a t s e r v e s s m a l l p l a t e s accompanied by inexpensive and expensive local wines. There are also inexpensive self-service counters where an assortment of delicacies, f r o m s t u f f e d t o m a t o e s , baked zucchini, artichokes, roasted chicken, porchetta, and pizza al taglio, can be ordered and carried to the comfortable central dining area where there is a café. T h e s e f o o d b a r s a r e t h e favorite of local school chil- dren who eat and drink after school hours at a very good price. On the following day, our next stop was at the Nuovo Mercato Esquilino, for- merly the Piazza Vittorio market near the Termini. The Esquilino market is in the center of one of Rome's main immigrant neighbor- hoods with its multicultural m i x f r o m a l l o v e r t h e world. It contains all of the typical Mediterranean fish species, but it also contains the inexpensive carpa, con- sumed by many immigrant groups. Although not found on many restaurant menus i n I t a l y , m y r e s e a r c h ( w w w . t r e n t i n o f i s h i n g . i t ) informs me that carpa was first introduced to Italy dur- i n g t h e R o m a n E m p i r e , although Apicius does not appear to have a recipe for it. The meat counters have an abundance of traditional cuts of beef. However, sever- al had the innards and vis- cera, from tongue to chicken feet, and other beef and pork p r o d u c t s n o t f o u n d i n Rome's northern markets. The poor cannot afford to throw anything away. More importantly, as we wandered through this beau- tiful market, we found stalls o v e r f l o w i n g w i t h e a s t e r n h e r b s a n d s p i c e s , f r o m coriander, ginger, and cumin to paprika and saffron. Yes, Spain is a major producer of p a p r i k a j u s t a s s a f f r o n i s g r o w n i n I t a l y . B u t t h e i r presence reveals Italy's his- torical interchange over the c e n t u r i e s w i t h o t h e r Mediterranean and Asian cultures. We can see in the market's offerings the resur- gence from the Roman era of these special food items con- sumed by the surrounding immigrant cultures. At Christmas, I received as a gift a recently repub- l i s h e d f i f t e e n t h - c e n t u r y c o o k b o o k , R e g i s t r u m Coquine, by a German chef, Johannes Bockenheim. In the introduction to the book, the editor and transla- tor, Marco Gavio de Rubeis, explains how Italian cooking historically has been rooted in region, class, and even profession. In his research in northern Italian archives, he f o u n d c o o k b o o k s w i t h recipes for nobles, princes, m o n k s , p r i e s t s , w o m e n , notaries, and copyists, even pimps and prostitutes. Still today, spaghetti alla put - tanesca appears on restau- r a n t m e n u s w h e r e v e r a clever chef wants to show his genuine Italian chops. As we can see in Italy's markets, the products they offer to the shopper are a reflection of contemporary class and cul- ture. But must also be seen, as well, as a harbinger of an evolving Italian cuisine. How long will it take before prod- ucts and spices sold at the market begin to influence I t a l i a n c h e f s t h r o u g h o u t Italy? Given the regional n a t u r e o f I t a l i a n c u l t u r e , however, there will perhaps never be a unifying use of these new products in Italian cooking. The products offered to shoppers in Italian markets are a reflection of contemporary class and culture. But must also be seen as a precursor of an evolving Italian cuisine CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 Tripes are a traditional Roman dish. You can buy all the ingredients (tripes included!) at local markets in the city (Photo: Salmassara/Dreamstime)

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