Saturday 13 June 2020
#eat / drink #restaurants #best x y
The X best "vaccinara" oxtails of Rome. Where to eat the queen of the fifth quarter.
One of the truest dishes of Roman cuisine.
The fifth quarter is what remained of the cow after selling the valuable parts to those who could afford it. So tripe, heart, pajata, offal in general. And tail. These discards ended up over time to acquire dignity and have become a non-existent "fourth": the fifth.
There are a couple of versions, different only for the addition of some ingredients: pine nuts, raisins, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg. But the concept behind it is as follows: you boil the tail with the tomato for a long, long time (6 hours). Then you add a lot, a lot of celery.
After much boiling, the tail releases its connective tissue: the muscle fibers will be very tender and a tasty jelly will form. Of meat there will actually be little left, but with the advanced sauce you can season delicious rigatoni.
It will be because the queue is not easily found in supermarkets and at the butcher's, it will be because it takes a day to prepare it, it will be because the Romans are lazy in nature ... but they rarely cook at home.
All that remains is to rely on the restaurants that offer it on the menu.
Not a few but not a great many; if we can take it for granted that in a Roman restaurant we will certainly find amatriciana or carbonara ... finding the tail is rarer.
The fifth quarter is what remained of the cow after selling the valuable parts to those who could afford it. So tripe, heart, pajata, offal in general. And tail. These discards ended up over time to acquire dignity and have become a non-existent "fourth": the fifth.
There are a couple of versions, different only for the addition of some ingredients: pine nuts, raisins, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg. But the concept behind it is as follows: you boil the tail with the tomato for a long, long time (6 hours). Then you add a lot, a lot of celery.
After much boiling, the tail releases its connective tissue: the muscle fibers will be very tender and a tasty jelly will form. Of meat there will actually be little left, but with the advanced sauce you can season delicious rigatoni.
It will be because the queue is not easily found in supermarkets and at the butcher's, it will be because it takes a day to prepare it, it will be because the Romans are lazy in nature ... but they rarely cook at home.
All that remains is to rely on the restaurants that offer it on the menu.
Not a few but not a great many; if we can take it for granted that in a Roman restaurant we will certainly find amatriciana or carbonara ... finding the tail is rarer.
In the link list and map of restaurants that have oxtail in the menu (obviously partial list, we await your collaboration for additions and changes).
It is worth remembering that the tail is eaten all over the world; soups in Europe and Asia, stewed in Africa, North and South America.
The true origins of the legendary Fettuccine Alfredo.
The X best Peruvian restaurants in Rome. Where to eat cheviche according to the tradition of an underrated cuisine.
On the ugliness and uselessness of restaurant websites. Dedicated to restaurateurs (Roman and not).
The X best cod fillets in Rome. Where to eat the legendary fried fish.
[EVENT CANCELED] Sicilian festival in Piazza San Giovanni Bosco. From 22 to 25 October 2020.
Street Food in Rome. Three appointments in September 2020.
The best X arrosticini in Rome. Where to eat Abruzzese "rustelle".
The best X smoked BBQ. Where to eat American smoked meat (in Rome and in Italy).
DOCG and DOC wines from the province of Rome (and a bit of history).
The best X Y in Rome. That is where to eat Y.
Small guide to restaurants in Rome: Asian cuisine
Farmers' markets reopen: list, map and timetables.
