a ta S t e O f


r O m e Silvia nacamUlli on artichokes, aubergines and inventive thrift


which are delicious matza fritters with raisins, orange zest and pine nuts, dipped in honey. Besides kashrut, three factors played a


central role in shaping Roman Jewish cooking throughout the centuries: demographics, creativity and necessity. The largest immigration of Jews to


Rome was fromSicily in the 16th century, as a consequence of the Spanish Inquisition, and others were later expelled fromPuglia, Sardinia and Calabria. They brought with themtheir culinary culture, including ingredients virtually unknown in the North, such as artichokes and aubergines. Aubergine becamewidely appreciated


by Italian Jews,who cooked dishes such as melanzane allaGiudia ‘aubergines Jewish style’or the caponata dimelanzane alla Giudia, butwas despised by the general population of Central andNorthern Italy. In fact itwas referred to as “vile foods of the Jews” (P.Artusi, Science in the Kitchen and the Art of EatingWell, 1891). The Sicilian Jews also introduced


flavours such as agrodolce (sweet and sour) and the use of pine nuts and raisins in savoury dishes. These are used today in such dishes as spinaci con pinoli e passerine (see recipe), and with triglie (redmullet) or baccalá (salt cod).


SPinaci con Pinoli e PaSSerine


Sauté spinach with pine nuts and raisins


Serves 4-6 as side dish or starter


1 kg fresh spinach 1 tbsp rock/coarse salt 4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 3 tbsp raisins 3 tbsp pine nuts Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Wash the spinach and without draining it put it in a deep saucepan with a tablespoon of rock salt. cover and steam on medium heat for 5-7 minutes. once the spinach is tender, drain it, leave it to cool and squeeze the


water out, ideally with your hands. tiP: You can also put the spinach in a


large bowl with a tablespoon of rock salt and pour boiling water on top. Stir, cover and leave to soak for a couple of minutes until wilted. Drain, gently rinse with cold water and squeeze the water out. in the meantime, heat up the olive oil in a


La cucina Giudaico Romanesca – Roman Jewish cuisine – is one of themost delicious and interesting in the world. But then, I am biased as I’mboth Roman and Jewish and my family has been living in Rome, onmy mother’s side, for asmany generations as we can trace back. More than 2,000 years old, Rome is the


oldest Jewish community in theWestern World. Since Jews arrived in Rome before theAshkenazi/Sephardi division, to the surprise ofmany its community is neither Ashkenazi nor Sephardi: it is uniquely Roman Jewish, and so is its cooking. As elsewhere, Roman Jews adapted


traditional local dishes to conformto kashrut, the dietary laws, and in the process created new and original recipes. For example, inspired by the popular Italian cold cuts,mostly of pork, the Jews in Rome created delicious cuts of cured beef such as coppiette, carne secca, coda di pezza and salsicce.Made for hundreds of years, they are still popular today and are available and known only within the Jewish community. For the festival of Passover, the


Roman Jews created pizzarelle col miele, 54 JEWiSh REnaiSSancE octobER 2011 Also from Sicily came the tradition of


deep frying and coating vegetables in batter, and fried dishes are still an important characteristic of Roman Jewish cooking. The dish ‘par excellence’ and most widely known is carciofi alla Giudia, ‘artichokes Jewish style’. It is a deep-fried artichoke that once cooked opens up like a sunflower. The secret of success is in the way the hard artichoke leaves are cut off – a secret that even today remains with the Jews of Rome. It is crispy and so delicious that I truly believe it is worth a trip to Rome just to eat it! Last but not least is the fritto misto


(mixed fry). This originated in Rome at the time of the Ghetto when street vendors


non stick frying pan. once hot, add the chopped onion with some salt and pepper. leave to cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and starts to turn golden. add the steamed and squeezed spinach, stir to blend in the onion, and sauté on medium heat for 5-8 minutes. Soak the raisins in a little water for a


minute so they become soft and juicy. Squeeze and add them to the spinach together with the pine nuts. Stir well and leave to sauté on medium heat for a final 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.


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