Abbacchio scottadito is Rome's spring-lamb dish: milk-fed Lazio lamb chops grilled on a wood fire and eaten hot with the hands, the namesake scottadito meaning burns-the-fingers.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
Abbacchio is the milk-fed Lazio lamb of the Roman Easter tradition, slaughtered at around 30 days old and weighing 8 to 10 kilos. The scottadito (burns-the-fingers) preparation is the cutlets, dipped briefly in olive oil with rosemary, salt and pepper, then grilled hot on a wood fire and eaten with the hands as the lamb is too hot for cutlery. The dish is the staple of Roman Easter lunch and runs on bistro menus from March through May. Felice a Testaccio, Armando al Pantheon and the city's trattoria canon all serve canonical versions; the lamb-bone gravy on the plate is part of the dish.
Tip from the editors. The grill must be smoking-hot; cold pan steams the lamb. Eat the cutlets immediately and with the hands; this is the canonical Roman ritual.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Felice a Testaccio in Rome has served the Testaccio working-quarter cucina since 1936. The tonnarelli cacio e pepe is tossed table-side; the saltimbocca alla romana is the late-lunch order.
Signature: Tonnarelli cacio e pepe, Saltimbocca alla romana, Tiramisu
Order: The tonnarelli cacio e pepe tossed at the table, then saltimbocca alla romana and tiramisu.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead on the website. Lunch is calmer; the 21:00 dinner sitting is the longest wait.
Armando al Pantheon in Rome has cooked the four Roman pastas and the quinto quarto canon since 1961, a few steps from the Pantheon. The Gargioli family still runs the dining room.
Signature: Cacio e pepe, Coda alla vaccinara, Abbacchio
Order: Cacio e pepe, coda alla vaccinara, and the abbacchio when it's on the carte.
Tip: Bookings open exactly two months ahead on the website. Walk-up tables exist but only for lone diners and only at 12:30.
Why locals love it: Hidden in the south Ostiense industrial edge, Tommaso Pennestri's modern trattoria runs the rigatoni alla gricia and pajata under most tourist radars.
Tip: Closed Monday all day, Sunday dinner. Lunch is the calmer service. Book ten days ahead for dinner.
Perilli in Rome's Testaccio has cooked the rigatoni con la pajata and the bucatini all'amatriciana since 1911. The pajata is the dish that defines the room and the quarter.
Signature: Rigatoni con la pajata, Bucatini all'amatriciana, Coda alla vaccinara
Order: Rigatoni con la pajata (the dish of the house), bucatini all'amatriciana and a glass of Frascati.
Tip: Closed Wednesday all day. Cash and card; cover charge is €2 per head.
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