Lunch at my favorite Jewish restaurant in Rome in September

Impressioni di Settembre del nostro inviatoTony in vacanza a Roma

 

 

 

 

Most people do not know that Jews have lived in Italy for more than 22 centuries. Many Jews, expelled from Spain during the Inquisition, settled in Italy, principally in Rome, Florence, Venice and Turin.

The Jewish section of Rome is called ghetto, not because it is a ghetto in the American meaning. Ghetto in Italian refers to quarter, neighborhood. 

It is located close to the Vatican. 

Most Roman Jews are not like their American Ashkenazi cousins. Mostly are proudly Sephardim! Their origins are from the Iberian peninsula and North Africa. They are darker than the Ashkenazi, who are primarily descendants of Jews who emigrated to Eastern Europe. They do not speak Yiddish, instead they speak a language often referred to as Ladino. 

The Separdim cuisine is very different. No pastrami, corned beef, etc. They have their own very special dishes which reflect the cuisine of Southern Europe and the Maghreb. A famous one is the Jewish artichoke, available during the artichoke season. It is one of my favorite indulgences. A common custom with the Ashkenazi is the kosher protocol.

Italian Jews have made significant contributions to Italian culture. A few famous Jewish-Italians are Enrico Fermi (co-inventor of the Atomic Bomb), Umberto Eco (novelist), Camillo Olivetti (typewriters, computers), Rita Levi (Nobel laureate), Alberto Moravia (novelist), Lapo Elkann (Fiat Executive), Primo Levi (writer), Vittorio Gassman (actor), and Amedeo Modigliani (painter).

Next time you visit Rome, pay a visit to the Ghetto. You will not regret it. 

The enclosed collage captures my visit to a well known restaurant, recommended to me by my good friend Bazooka, a haberdasher who used to be one of Benetton's personal guard. He is a retired Israeli paratrooper. His real name is Simon.   

 

Tony Tasca