Saltimbocca alla romana is Rome's veal scaloppine: thin veal escalopes layered with prosciutto crudo and a sage leaf, pan-fried in butter and finished with a white-wine pan sauce. The dish jumps in the mouth.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
Saltimbocca (literally jumps in the mouth) appears in Pellegrino Artusi's 1891 cookbook as a Roman dish, though the technique of veal-with-prosciutto pan-fried under sage is older and likely Lazio-rural in origin. The 20th-century trattoria form sets the recipe: thin veal escalopes (about 80g each), a slice of San Daniele or Parma prosciutto, a single sage leaf pinned with a wooden toothpick. Butter pan, brief cook, white wine deglaze. Felice a Testaccio, Armando al Pantheon, Matricianella and the city's bistro canon all serve the dish; the no-flour version (avoiding the saucy gravy) is considered the canonical Roman form.
Common allergens: Dairy
Tip from the editors. Use thin veal, pounded gently. No flour on the meat; the canonical Roman version skips it for a clean butter sauce.
Felice a Testaccio in Rome has served the Testaccio working-quarter cucina since 1936. Kitchen leans roman trattoria. At Via Mastro Giorgio 29.
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.
Matricianella in Rome's Centro Storico runs the canonical Roman trattoria carte: amatriciana the dish that named the house, saltimbocca alla romana.
Signature: Bucatini all'amatriciana, Saltimbocca, Concia di zucchine
Order: Bucatini all'amatriciana and saltimbocca alla romana, with a quartino of house Frascati.
Tip: Closed Sunday all day. Book a week ahead for the courtyard terrace; the indoor room is calmer.
Armando al Pantheon in Rome has cooked the four Roman pastas and the quinto quarto canon since 1961, a few steps from the Pantheon. Located in Centro Storico.
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.
Trattoria Da Teo in Rome's Trastevere is the family-run pasta-and-pizza room with a piazza-side terrace, classic Roman primi and a quiet wine list of Lazio.
Signature: Cacio e pepe, Saltimbocca, Tonnarelli
Order: Cacio e pepe, saltimbocca alla romana and a half-litre of house wine.
Tip: Book a fortnight ahead for the piazza terrace. Closed Sunday all day.
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