Rome: What to buy?
Hi, all,
I'm on my way to Rome in March with 3 friends and I'm after some advice on what to buy food-wise.
Suggestions of places to eat would be great too, but what can I not leave this glorious City without purchasing?
Cheers, everyone!
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.
13 Comments:
Suggestions* - Pardon my spelling.
GTO at 4:34PM on 01/13/08
Real aged balsamic vinegar!
smallblondemom at 10:16PM on 01/13/08
This is tricky, since you probably wouldn't be able to take back everything you'd like: What do you most like to eat/find heinously expensive or utterly unavailable where you live?
Also, are there any legal restrictions on what you can bring back (e.g. my boyfriend and I brought back from our summer vacation--a motorcycle tour between Florence and Bolzano--a cryo-wrapped prosciutto and some bresaola (AND insane amounts of sweets, Marvis toothpaste, and other odds and ends), but I'm not certain that you can bring EU meat back to the US [we're in Denmark])? This is the time of year for Italian blood oranges; if you can get them back to the US, and you like them, I'd go for it; citrus travels quite well.
Food that is highly characteristic of a given region is often not something you can bring back (they're often prepared dishes that are to fragile or perishable to transport... but if you find a dish you love in a restaurant, ask about the ingredients, and you might consider some of those as a starting point for 'things to take home'.
I grew up in Italy, so I have a real fondness for Italian candy, and cakes that, like panforte, are fairly sturdy. I've had no luck finding many of these outside of Italy, so if you have a sweet tooth, do look into these; you'll find things some unique items.
I know this is vague, but if you have some defined guidelines, I might be able to suggest something useful...
mongoose at 2:49AM on 01/14/08
Argh, almost forgot: Look into herbs, spices, seasonings, various condiments (in addition to balsamic vinegar, that is).
And, although the small shops are far more enjoyable at one level, if you like to browse (which can make small shop keepers restive), don't overlook the supermarkets, including the massive 'ipercoop' supermarket (via Casilina 1011 red), which also gives a very good overview of what Romans shop for today (but do NOT forget to put on the disposable gloves when handling produce, or risk wrath!).
mongoose at 3:07AM on 01/14/08
Good Balsamic is an absolute "must" - Get it? "Must"? Terrible.
Mongoose - I too love the various sweets and confectioneries of different Countries. I always try to make a visit to a Supermarket and pick up some stuff who's labels I can't read.
I had no idea I could bring back fruit, and as you say Citurs would travel well.
Thanks for the gloves tip, dodged a bullet there!
GTO at 7:01AM on 01/14/08
There are some foods you can bring back. Cheese is one. My daughter recently was in Florence and brought back a vacuum packed half wheel of pecorino--it was fabulous.(Try it with ripe pears drizzled with honey). I think there may be some dried meats--procuito etc which you can bring back but you should check on those before doing so. Dried wild mushrooms...The best thing to do is to go to the markets ( this is worth doing in ANY city in Europe!) Ohh I am envious!
smallblondemom at 8:59AM on 01/14/08
I second the spices. I brought bags and bags back from Campo Di Fiore. While you're there you should go to Al Forno (or maybe it's just Forno...?). It's a bakery and sandwich place that will absolutely blow your mind.
I think there are prohibitions for bringing back cured meats, but I've heard of a number of folks who have managed to sneak them through customs.
srbrooklyn at 11:08AM on 01/14/08
OK, Herbs and Spices are a must too.
I was wondering about things like cured meat and Sauasge. Also, I'd heard that unpasturised cheese was not allowed.
GTO at 11:51AM on 01/14/08
I'm sorry, I wasn't clear, I'm not actually certain that fruit IS okay to bring back... I've tended to just take a 'hope for the best' attitude with iffy items, and resign myself to possible confiscation. So far I haven't had any problems, but it probably wouldn't hurt to call the airport/airline/consulate.
I realised I'd forgot another thing: cooking utensils. Not strictly food, but indispensable for preparing it. Just keep your eyes open, and there's a good chance you'll come across something useful/intriguing.
mongoose at 1:21PM on 01/14/08
I would recommend coffee beans from Sant Eustachio, not far from the Pantheon. You can order them online but it's so not as good as walking into the cafe and having your morning cappuccino, and then ordering some beans to take home. http://www.santeustachioilcaffe.it/
selizara at 2:07PM on 01/14/08
So many suggestions, thanks everyone!
Coffee would be great.
Mongoose - Confiscation? Lol, they just eat it once it's taken away. Some utensils would be a great idea.
GTO at 6:38PM on 01/14/08
Third (fourth?) the suggestion to get balsamic vinegar. I picked up a bottle of amazing aged balsamic at a local supermarket in Rome - and it cost just 9 euros. I don't remember the brand, but it's a roundish bottle with a sort of sunburst design on it.
And I agree that you should bring utensils, and if they tell you you can't bring any of the stuff through, have a picnic right there at Customs. :P
thebasilqueen at 10:45PM on 01/17/08
if you're on a budget (and even if you're not) i must recommend trattoria da augusto. it's in the travestere (same side of the tiber as st. peter's, but further south). you can get a full meal (primo piatto, secondo piatto, contorno, dolci, e vino) for around 20 euros. the food is not outstanding, but it's certainly solid and quite traditional. it gets quite busy, so get there early if you can. at the same time, it's much more fun to eat with italians, so if you don't mind waiting, plan on showing up at around 8:30 or 9:00.
a couple roman specialties to try, if you can: artichokes (carciofi - either fried or "roman style"), pasta cacio e pepe (pasta with pecorino cheese and black pepper), pasta all'amatriciana (see the ny times article today!), fried baccalà (salt cod), and, of course, the ubiquitous and famous pasta alla carbonara.
emmab at 1:20AM on 01/18/08