The Rome Index
Food in Rome's Jewish Ghetto
One of Rome's oldest culinary traditions — and the neighbourhood to eat it in.
The dishes
Carciofi alla giudìa — whole artichokes deep-fried flat until crisp — originate here, as does a style of salted cod (baccalà) that's still served at a handful of fryers in the area.
The neighbourhood
Rome's Jewish community has been in this area for over two thousand years, making it one of the oldest continuous Jewish communities in the world. The cooking reflects that — distinct from the trattoria tradition of Testaccio.
Where to eat
A cluster of restaurants and street fryers around Via del Portico d'Ottavia, within walking distance of the Pantheon and Campo de' Fiori.
A cuisine shaped by restriction
Much of Roman Jewish cooking developed under centuries of enforced poverty and limited ingredient access within the walled Ghetto (1555-1870) — carciofi alla giudìa and other signature dishes reflect real ingenuity with cheap, available ingredients rather than luxury, a parallel history to the cucina povera roots of mainstream Roman food.
Kosher versus Jewish-Roman
Not every restaurant on Via del Portico d'Ottavia is strictly kosher — some serve traditional Roman-Jewish recipes without kosher certification, while others operate under full kosher supervision. If kosher certification specifically matters to you, ask directly or look for visible certification rather than assuming from the neighbourhood alone.
