Fried zucchini flowers: where to eat and pair the best wine

Delicious, unique, rich in flavor and history. Zucchini flowers are back: spectacular when fried, unforgettable if paired with the right wine.

The artichoke season is now over, we say goodbye to the “king” of Roman vegetables and say welcome to the “queen”.

The courgette flower, now dominates the stalls of the local markets. Offering delicious expressions even on pizza and pasta dishes. The cuisine of the capital presents different types of recipes. According to the sixteenth-century gastronomic tradition of papal Rome, and the popular one. Zucchini flowers, are part of the second style, that linked to recovery dishes. Let’s find out where to eat the best fried zucchini flowers and how to combine them with wine.

From popular food to king’s recipe.

Edible flowers show off in all high-level restaurants, today widely used in starry kitchens, thanks to their aesthetic contribution. But this has not always been the case, centuries ago they were only part of the nutrition of the poor. Which were forced to make meals from few ingredients, especially from waste. Today the courgette flowers in October, and the zucchini flowers in the summer are the basis of tasty and spectacular recipes. We find them in the menus of restaurants of any level and style. In the markets, courgette flowers are found on top of fresh zucchini, or sold separately in packs. Some of us prepare them at home, with patience and love, most of us enjoy them outside in rotisseries, pizzerias and restaurants.

A versatile ingredient.

However, zucchini flowers are also used on pizza or to season pasta. Even raw, filled with fresh ricotta and completed with olive oil and pistachio grains as in one of the delicious appetizers offered by the renowned Casa Bleve restaurant.
One of the best recipe is, no doubt, the fried zucchini flower, with mozzarella and anchovy inside covered in batter. Fried are ideal for an aperitif or as a side dish.

Where to eat the best fried zucchini flowers in Rome? Our favorites:

La Taverna del Ghetto – Via del Portico d’Ottavia 8 – Jewish Ghetto Rome

Da Gino alla Villetta – Vicolo del Buco, 2 Trastevere Rome

Roma Sparita– Piazza di santa Cecilia, 24 Trastevere Rome

Hostaria Costanza – Vicolo del Paradiso 36 Campo de Fiori Rome

Which wine goes perfectly with this recipe?

First of all, we must consider that the recipe for fried zucchini flowers offers some sweetness components. These sensations are due to the batter that covers the flower outside, and to the mozzarella cube in the filling. On the other hand, the presence of the anchovy inside and the final pinch of salt, is balancing the taste. In addition, the recipe offers fatness due, first of all, to the frying oil.
This dish, therefore, offers many facets of flavor. The ideal wine for pairing must therefore fit into this context, enhancing its characteristics. In other words, a wine with good body, with great freshness, could be for us. Better if moderately savory and with a light almond finish.

Three dry white wines that go perfectly with the recipe:

Vermentino di Sardegna Ribotta – Soc Agr Vigna du Bertin

Chardonnay La Fuga – Donnafugata

Valle d’Aosta DOP Petite Arvine – Les Cretes

Sparkling wine, why not?

Especially if chosen as an aperitif, they go perfectly with sparkling wines. The effervescence contributes considerably to mitigate the oily texture due to frying.

Bollè Andreola – a sparkling wine made with 100% Glera grapes, the same grapes that give life to Prosecco. This time made with the classic method, which obviously gives us a beautiful fragrance thanks to the stay on the lees and refermentation in the bottle.

Kius Marco Carpineti – a classic method of the territory made with historical and unknown vines such as Bellone, Greco, and Nero Buono from Cori village.

“Jeio” Prosecco Rosé Doc Brut 2020 – Bisol