Arriving in Rome, almost by accident, the tourist decided to stay a while in a tiny flat above a bakery, next to the "coarse and chaotic" old food market. The "notes" referred to in the sub-title are as delicious as the "recipes". The slaughterhouse is long gone and, no, this is not a book about offal, but it is firmly rooted in the Testaccio quarter of the city of Rome which this Englishwoman calls home. This being a quarter of the animals weight, it was known as the 'fifth quarter'. Wages were partly paid in-kind with offal. The number five recurs as the book goes along but Quinto Quarto (the Fifth Quarter) is the name of the distinctive style of cooking created by the workers at the Testaccio slaughterhouse towards the end of the 19th century. As always, I endeavour to be objective in my review and I loved the writing which feels so familiar.įive Quarters may seem a strange title but it's easily explained. I've watched Rachel Roddy's writing develop from her Rachel Eats blog, which she started in 2008, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on her first book. Five Quarters - Recipes and Notes from a Kitchen in Rome
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |