Submitted by Lauren Coar on the 2019 summer session program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition…
This morning, I woke up early for my first full day here in Rome, which would start with what better, but a food tour. I was not really sure what to expect from this food tour, but I was blown away after the experience. First, we had the most friendly and interesting tour guide named Toni. She was very helpful to me throughout the entire tour regarding my allergy which I really appreciated because I felt safe eating all of the tasty food. Another thing very interesting about her is that she’s Australian and fell in love with Italy when she was “on holiday” and hasn’t left since which I thought was really charming and showed how much love she has for what she does. Our first stop on the food tour was to a bakery where I had the most delicious pastry in the world. Toni made an interesting point that we think of the Mediterranean Diet as being extremely healthy, but all Italians start their day with cookies or cake! We also got to meet the old woman who bakes for the shop, a great example for our aging class because she is still fully engaged in her work, regardless of her age. Our next stop was to a deli where we tried some meat and cheese, which was also fresh and delicious. We got to taste parmesan and pecorino romano cheese side by side and taste the difference. My Mom uses both at home and I never knew that one was made out of cow’s milk and the other was made of sheep’s milk, and they never tasted different to me until tasting them side by side like that. Next was the farmer’s market, where we tasted some fresh fruit and meat which surprisingly go really well together! The next two stops were my two favorites because they consisted of some Roman street food. This is considered fast food to them, but Toni mentioned that it is not nearly as bad for you because the ingredients are fresh and nothing is processed, so basically it is nothing like McDonald’s. At the first place, Suppli, we had delicious fried rice balls with tomato sauce and a mozzarella center which was to die for. Then we headed over to Trappizino for pizza bread pockets filled to our choosing, which was eggplant parmesan for me of course. You will 100% see me back at both of these two places at some point during the week, as I think I could try everything on the menu! We ended the tour at a gelato shop, where Toni taught us the difference between real and fake gelato, like the height and color of the spread that is shown in the window. This was helpful because now we can steer clear of the tourist traps. I enjoyed this tour a lot and now I feel like I know all the best spots to eat in Rome!
