Carciofo Alla Giudia appears as a signature dish in 1 Italy cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Carciofo alla giudia · Rome
Carciofo alla giudia is the Roman-Jewish artichoke dish: a whole Romanesco artichoke trimmed, pressed open, twice-fried in olive oil until the outer leaves crackle like fritters. The Ghetto's classic.
The carciofo alla giudia originated in Rome's Jewish Ghetto, the 1555-founded papal quarter where Jewish cooks adapted the local Romanesco artichoke into a twice-fried dish that softened the heart while crisping the outer leaves to a flower-like fritter. The technique reached its modern form by the mid-19th century; Sora Margherita, Boccione and the Ghetto's restaurants codified the service ritual. The artichoke season runs March to May only, when Romanesco artichokes from the Castelli Romani are at their peak; out-of-season versions use frozen or imported globe artichokes and are not the canonical dish. Carciofo alla romana (braised in oil with mint, parsley and garlic) is the parallel non-Jewish Roman version.
Where to eat in Rome:
- Ba'Ghetto
- Nonna Betta
- Da Enzo al 29
- Antica Pesa