Eating in Jewish Ghetto, Rome

Rome's Jewish community is the oldest in Europe outside Israel, continuously present in this small quarter along the Tiber since long before the 16th-century walls that once enclosed it. The food reflects that history directly: carciofi alla giudia (whole artichokes flattened and deep-fried until the leaves crisp like petals) is the dish to know, alongside fried salt cod and the dense, twice-baked pizza ebraica studded with candied fruit and nuts. Several bakeries and restaurants along Via del Portico d'Ottavia keep kosher, and the neighbourhood is genuinely small enough to cover on foot in under an hour, which makes it easy to combine with a stop at the nearby Ghetto's ancient ruins. Artichoke season (roughly February through April) is the best time to visit for the signature dish at its peak, though the fried cod and pizza ebraica are available year-round.