{"id":5858,"date":"2023-03-21T12:03:30","date_gmt":"2023-03-21T16:03:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/?p=5858"},"modified":"2023-03-21T12:27:07","modified_gmt":"2023-03-21T16:27:07","slug":"this-might-be-the-best-reason-to-visit-rome-during-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/21\/this-might-be-the-best-reason-to-visit-rome-during-spring\/","title":{"rendered":"This Might Be the Best Reason to Visit Rome During Spring"},"content":{"rendered":"

When March rolls around in the Eternal City, a deep-fried artichoke dish sets off a feeding frenzy. To understand the Romans\u2019 obsession with carciofi alla Giudia, you need to, well, do as the Romans do.<\/p>

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Photo by Andrea Wyner<\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure>

By Susan Van Allen<\/a> for Afar<\/em><\/strong> – It\u2019s a cozy Monday night at Ristorante La Torricella<\/strong> in Rome<\/a>\u2019s Testaccio neighborhood. As I peruse the menu, Augusto D\u2019Alfonsi, the restaurant\u2019s owner for 40 years, approaches my table, holding up the pride of Rome\u2019s spring season: an artichoke. \u201cThis is a gift from God,\u201d D\u2019Alfonsi says, stroking the artichoke\u2019s stem as though it\u2019s the thigh of a lovely signorina<\/em>. \u201cCarciofi, carciofi…<\/em>,\u201d he sighs: car-CHO-fee, car-CHO-fee. Inspired, I order an antipasto of carciofi alla Giudia<\/em>, an artichoke that has been flattened and deep-fried, transformed into a crisp, golden flower.<\/p>

My dinner companion and cooking teacher, Daniela del Balzo, smiles with approval when the antipasto arrives, and we tear into its crunchy leaves, relishing the earthy, nutty flavor. \u201cRomans have had a love affair with artichokes for thousands of years,\u201d says Daniela. She explains that back in toga-wearing days, the leafy thistles were believed to be powerful aphrodisiacs. Women were long forbidden to eat them, but Catherine de\u2019 Medici, infamous for her insatiable appetites, took some with her to France in the mid-16th century when she married Henry II, and her artichoke gorging caused quite the scandal.<\/p>

In Daniela\u2019s cooking class<\/a>, I learned the carciofi alla Giudia<\/em> essentials. The lesson began at the Testaccio market, where, from late February to early May, stalls overflow with carciofi Romaneschi<\/em>, a small, round, purple-tinged artichoke that happens to be the best variety for making carciofi alla Giudia. Though traditional eateries all over the city prepare them well, every Roman (including Daniela) believes that to have the most authentic experience of this specialty, you must go to its place of origin\u2014Rome\u2019s Jewish ghetto.<\/p>

Read more here for recipe<\/a><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When March rolls around in the Eternal City, a deep-fried artichoke dish sets off a feeding frenzy. To understand the Romans\u2019 obsession with carciofi alla Giudia, you need to, well,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5860,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1214,1216,1215],"class_list":{"0":"post-5858","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-carciafi-alla-giudia","9":"tag-deep-fried-artichoke","10":"tag-roman-artichokes"},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t