Floridacouple

We’re in Rome for the month & having a great time. Our plan today is wandering through the Jewish Ghetto then taking a bus this afternoon to the town of Ciampino for the 30 Festa Del Cipollaro’s (Feast of the Onion?) semifinal Bocce tournament.

Does anyone know of any sites to see in the town?

Also, I’ve heard having artichokes in the Jewish Ghetto is an experience not to be missed. Looking for your favorite restaurants to try them and also description of how they are prepared.

Tomorrow we’re off to Arrica for the Sagra Del Porchetta!

nochblad

I believe that they are out of season but I'm not in Rome. Here in Cernobbio/Como they are not available.

flanneruk

In season, Carciofi alla Giudea ("artichokes in the Jewish style") is Romes's national dish and served practically everywhere in Rome. I've never heard a Roman claim they're any better in the OLD Ghetto than anywhere else in the city.

BUT: Now is not the season. And any Italian restaurant serving something as fundamental as artichokes out of season is a tourist ripoff joint, serving crap imported (or worse: frozen or tinned), old and end-of-season, junk food to undiscriminating idiots. Not my view: the view of all right-thinking Italian restaurateurs.

You MIGHT get early season artichokes in Rome by early October (though they'll have been trucked in from the far north of the country, which is tantamount to imported foreign junk food for most Romans). But any restarant serving them right now should be steered clear of just like you'd avoid anywhere serving fresh strawberries in mid-winter.

nochblad

One of the wonders about Italy is that you can judge the time of year by looking at the fresh fruit and vegetables in the markets. Be it asparagus, the black cherries from Vignola, the first funghi porcini, the crossover period when instead of eating prosciutto e melone you eat prosciutti e fichi (figs), the cachi (persimmons) etc. Sometimes you can date things to as fine as the last two weeks of August when you find the fagiolini di Sant'Anna.

Just to make everyone jealous I had tagliolini with fresh white truffles the other night!

Zerlina

Carciofi alla giudea (fried) are *not* offered "practically everywhere"; they are offered primarily by restaurants in the Ghetto area.

In Ghetto restaurants where they are a specialty, they are also offered out of season. I don't think tinned or frozen artichokes lend themselves to being prepared alla giudea; the ones used are generally imported, mostly from northern France.

Carciofi alla romana (braised) *are* offered in many restaurants, but only in season.

susanna

The best are at Da Gigetto (sp) in the old quarter, go by and ask them. If they aren't available they also serve stuffed fried zucchni blossoms and fried cod, which are also great! In fact this is my meal when in rome, the above three, nothing else!!!

Ann1

http://www.giggetto.it We were there in April and it was not a tourist place. Everyone having dinner on Sunday were locals. The waiters all knew them. We were the odd ones. They specialize in artichokes.

franco

First of all, please note that it's "carciofi alla giudia", not "giudea" (a typical Roman dish named in typical Roman dialect). Second, flanneruk is basically right about Roman artichoke season, but not about north Italian season - they're out of season there, too, of course (artichoke season in northern Italy runs from February to May). Third, Zerlina is perfectly right about carciofi being available in the ex-ghetto out of season, and in excellent quality, so they're definitely not frozen or tinned (absolutely impossible to prepare carciofi alla giudia with tinned artichokes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), but as Zerlina said, most certainly imported from France, where it is possible to get excellent fresh artichokes at this late season. Fourth, the best artichokes are not to be had at Giggetto (they're just so-so), but at Sora Margherita (Piazza delle Cinque Scole, 30), an unassuming and notoriously unfriendly/rude place that's open for lunch only, but their carciofi alla giudia are so good that people are patiently standing in line on the street to secure a table.

Ann1

Giggetto was good but there are many restaurants that we had artichoke in that were better. One was on Via Napoli but I can't remember the name. The point is that yes, you can eat artichokes in many restaurants and enjoy them and you don't just have to go to the Jewish Ghetto.

ekscrunchy

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/703296

annhig

I tried the carciofi alla giudia on our trip to Rome in February, but either the ones I had were not very good, or they are not to my taste.

fiori fritti, now, they are delish. so much so that I've tried making them at home. sadly I haven't yet got the knack, but it's fun, and tasty, trying.

loncall

I would be intersted to know what fresh fruit and vegetables will be in season in Rome in mid october. Sounds like artichokes will not be !