What to Buy at the Market in Rome in Springtime
Spring in Rome is a vibrant time for fresh produce, bringing a mix of winter holdovers and new-season delights to the city’s bustling markets. Shopping seasonally guarantees freshness, flavor, and value. Here’s the Local Aromas guide to the best spring produce to eat in Rome:
Artichokes
While you can spot artichokes around Rome from October onwards, their peak season is in March and April. Look for the local carciofi romaneschi on menus all over the city. Enjoy them in classic recipes like carciofi alla romana (braised with garlic, parsley, olive oil, and local mint known as mentuccia) or carciofi alla giudia (deep-fried until the leaves splay out like sunflowers, served hot with salt). Or, try them raw in a salad with parmesan shavings, or tossed with pasta, crunchy guanciale (cured pork jowl), and grated pecorino romano.
Puntarelle
These curling, vivid green strips are a variety of chicory called cicoria catalogna. Seen bobbing in buckets of water at Rome’s markets, puntarelle are fresh, crunchy, and slightly bitter. In Rome, they are typically tossed in a zingy vinaigrette of olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and anchovies. Elsewhere in Italy, you might find them cooked or served with pasta.
Agretti
Known as barba di frate (Monk’s Beard), agretti are in season for a short time in early spring. These vibrant greens are quickly boiled in salted water, then drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice. Their texture is similar to chives, but the flavor is more akin to spinach with an iron-rich taste.
Broad Beans
Fave (broad beans) start appearing as the temperatures get milder. A spring staple, they pop up in pasta dishes, salads, stews, and soups. The traditional way to eat them is on May Day, served raw with hunks of sharp, salty pecorino romano cheese, a perfect pairing with their sweet flavor.
Peas
Early-season piselli freschi (fresh peas) are typically found alongside broad beans. Enjoy them straight from the pod for maximum freshness and sweetness, or in vignarola, a classic spring stew from the Lazio region made with artichokes, beans, peas, and lettuce cooked with guanciale and pecorino romano.
Radicchio Tardivo
From Treviso, this late-harvest radicchio is distinguished by its slim, deep purple leaves and bright white stems and veins. Its bitter, earthy taste works well in risotto (especially with creamy cheeses like Taleggio or Gorgonzola) or grilled until the leaves blacken, then brushed with olive oil and dusted with salt.
Broccolo Romanesco
With its pointed florets and striking green color, the Roman broccoli is hard to miss. Its texture is closer to cauliflower, and it has a nutty, sweet flavor. Commonly served ripassato (boiled until soft, then tossed with olive oil, garlic, and red chili), it’s also found cooked with anchovy and pecorino romano for a pasta sauce, or in the traditional fish soup zuppa broccoli e arzilla with skate and broken spaghetti.
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