Little did we realize that when we signed up
for the evening food tour conducted by Food Tours of Rome, that we were in a
for a treat and for some of the best moments of our entire Italy trip.
As recommended by several others on TripAdvisor,
we did the tour on our first evening in Rome. Owing to the tight travel
schedule, we hadn’t got a chance to have a proper lunch and hence we were quite
famished by 6 pm, the start time of the tour. It was planned to stop at around
7 restaurants over a span of 4 hours.
We were warmly greeted by the guide: Andrea
who checked us in and got to understand our preferences / allergies. Our group
consisted of a great mix of 13 people including a young British couple, a
mother-daughter from the US, an Australian couple and an American theology
student.
FIRST STOP
Piazza Mattei
Food truly has the power to bond even the
strangest of strangers as we all instantly connected and introduced ourselves
over our first meal.
We were served with Antipasti (starters) –
traditionally a mixed plate of cold cuts, meats, cheese vegetables among many
other things. Our guide explained that
the dishes for this course primarily originated from the north of Italy
–province of Friuli.
Some of the highlights were the soft creamy
cow’s milk ricotta cheese and delicious buffalo milk pecorino cheese served
with honey. The sweetness of the honey complemented the saltiness of the cheese
so exquisitely that it seemed like match made in heaven.
We were also served with “Bruschetta”
with an artichoke spread and mozzarella and polenta, a porridge like
dish made from cornmeal served with walnuts/ venison to accommodate both
vegetarians/non-vegetarians alike.
There was also a mixed plate of vegetables
as well such as eggplant, sautéed broccoli and cabbage leaves. Though very simple,
it gave us the feeling of dining in an traditional Italian household.
We were also offered an array of best of the
cold cuts such as salami, prosciutto which accompanied the
wines beautifully.
But hold on- this was just the first stop !
Next, we walked to the Jewish neighbourhood-
Trastevere (literally translating into the other side of the Tiber river),
where our guide showed us inscribed stones along the paths of the streets as
shown in the picture below, with names of those who lived and went on to die
during the Holocaust during World War II.
As he narrated, the images came alive into
our minds where in the early morning one Saturday (day of the Sabbath), thousands
of Jews were driven from their homes into the concentration camps where they
died. Out of more than thousands who left this neighbourhood, only 14 people
went on to survive. One of the survivors aged about 90 is still alive and when
someone asked him, “How can you live in the same house where you witnessed the
massacre of your family?” He replied that “I was born here and I will die
here”.
Naturally, the influence of the Jewish
culture influenced the cuisine of the region as well.
SECOND STOP
A small restaurant whose name I forgot to note :(
Trastevere
