Roman cuisine

[1] These include peas, globe artichokes and fava beans, shellfish, milk-fed lamb and goat, and cheeses such as pecorino romano and ricotta.

[2] Olive oil is used mostly to dress raw vegetables, while strutto (pork lard) and fat from prosciutto are preferred for frying.

[3] Special dishes are often reserved for different days of the week; for example, gnocchi is eaten on Thursdays, baccalà (salted cod) on Fridays and trippa on Saturdays.

An example of this could be Bartolomeo Scappi, who was a chef working for Pope Pius IV in the Vatican kitchen, reaching fame with his cookbook Opera dell'arte del cucinare, published in 1570.

The old-fashioned coda alla vaccinara (oxtail cooked in the way of butchers)[6] is still one of the city's most popular meals and is part of most of Rome's restaurants' menus.

[6] There is a considerable Jewish influence in Roman cuisine, since many Jews lived in the city, and some of the traditional meals of the ghetto date back over 400 years.