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Roman Christmas recipes
Traditions at the Table:
Roman Christmas recipes
In Rome, Christmas is synonymous with stracciatella: a hot soup of meat broth in which beaten eggs are cooked, enriched with Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt, pepper and a grating of lemon zest. This dish goes perfectly with assorted bruschetta, spread with pate or garnished with grilled vegetables.
Among pasta dishes, wide, porous egg fettuccine are a must. Purchased from the neighborhood pasta maker or homemade, they are served with a simple meat sauce. Alternatively, timballo is a tasty option: layers of crusted pasta filled with sauce and béchamel, often enriched with meat sauce and stringy mozzarella. Other beloved choices include cannelloni with ricotta and spinach or tortellini in broth.
For the main course, abbacchio is the star of the Roman Christmas meal. This suckling lamb is prepared with fried or baked ribs with rosemary and other herbs, served with potatoes that absorb the flavors of the meat during cooking. For those who prefer to avoid lamb, roast pork is a viable alternative. Traditional side dishes include puntarelle in anchovy sauce and the ever-present Roman-style artichoke.
Traditional Roman desserts include panpepato and pangiallo, spiced sweets sweetened with honey and enriched with dried fruit, raisins, and chocolate. Alongside these, there is no shortage of panettone, pandoro and torrone, both industrial and artisanal, as in all regions of Italy.
