As far back as the 2nd century B.C.E., Jews have made their home in Rome and represent the oldest Jewish community in the world outside Israel. What we recognize today as Roman Jewish cooking is the byproduct of universal Jewish dietary guidelines and, perhaps most importantly, of the forced isolation of the Roman Jews into a gated ghetto for 300 years.  This resulted in a unique blend of traditional Roman and Jewish cuisine, as the Jews living in the Ghetto were forced to use whatever limited ingredients were available to them. Additionally, the cuisine of this Jewish community reflects many other outside influences—thanks to the Jewish diaspora from Spain in the 15th century following the Inquisition, and again in the 1960s when thousands of Jews fleeing Libya settled in Rome. 

This walking tour, followed by a curated lunch, will focus on the history and development of Rome’s Jewish food traditions. We will explore twenty-two centuries’ worth of culinary evolution in the Jewish Ghetto by tasting local and seasonal dishes at kosher bakeries and a typical restaurant.