Porchetta: Queen of street food in Italy

Vegetarians and vegans, don’t be mad! But porchetta is an ode to food! And the pork a providential animal for the production of this unforgettable flavor. Porchetta is the undisputed queen of street food and absolutely cannot be missing from the list of the most famous Italian foods. Let’s discover together the origins and curiosities about this gastronomic treasure, typical of central Italy.

Ode to the pig: here’s why we call it porchetta

To understand why porchetta is one of the main products in Italy, we must first talk about the pig. Porchetta means in Italian the female of the pork. In ancient times, this animal represented the primary source of subsistence for entire families. Especially for the less well-off, due to the ease in raising it and because for them it was the only meat available. In fact, the richer classes consumed mainly beef and game. Let’s also remember that in central Italy the majority of the population was involved in sheep farming. For this reason, the two most common animals were the pig, precisely, and the sheep. Which we still find today in many traditional Italian recipes.

The origins of porchetta

We can say with certainty that porchetta was already well known in the times of the Etruscans and the ancient Romans. For them, porchetta was a real delicacy. In fact, they used to cook it on a spit and then they stuffed it. Even Apicius, in his De re coquinaria, talks about porchetta and stuffed roast pork. Years later, in the Middle Ages, they used to mention porchetta in many cookery treatises. Here, reference was made to popular festivals where the main dish was this delicious meat. Porchetta became popular and a street food thanks to a fundamental figure: the porchettaro. These were literally the sellers of porchetta, who, during city festivals or religious celebrations, were present in any square of central Italy.

Lazio or Umbria: to whom do we owe the birth of porchetta?

Two regions of central Italy compete for the birth of this delicacy: Lazio and Umbria. In Lazio, porchetta can only be that of Ariccia, a small town in the Castelli Romani area, a short distance from Rome. Always a favorite destination for Roman nobility in the summer season, with a cooler climate than the center of Rome. Here, traditionally, hunting trips and banquets were organized in which porchetta was the queen. The reputation of porchetta di Ariccia dates back to 1950, when the porchettari of Ariccia, led by their mayor, organized the first Sagra della Porchetta, with the aim of celebrating it. As for Umbria region, however, it seems that Norcia is the mother city of porchetta. Here too, it dates back to the times of ancient Rome, when the practice of raising pigs began to strengthen. Today it’s the main and typical meat of the city of Norcia, indeed.

Porchetta close up

According to the original recipe, it must be the female pig, hence the term porchetta, which must respect a certain weight. It is, therefore, a whole pig, without bones and cooked on a spit. To stuff the meat they use salt, black pepper, garlic and rosemary. For this reason, other ingredients are usually not added, since the meat is already very tasty. This is why the porchetta sandwich is one of the most popular in Rome, simple and delicious. You can however accompany the porchetta with stringy cheese, such as provola or scamorza, and with grilled zucchini or eggplants. In Rome you can enjoy good porchetta, the important thing is that it is from Ariccia! Once purchased, the porchetta should be kept at room temperature, in a cool place, and eaten the same day.

Where to buy porchetta

Porchetta is the queen of street food and is one of those products that are easy to find, but pay attention to the quality. In fact, porchetta must always be fresh. It can be easily found in grocery stores, in typical pork butchers, in rotisseries and panini shops, but also in the most well-stocked bakeries, forno in italian.

Where to eat the best porchetta in Rome

Walking around the streets of Rome you are spoiled for choice when it comes to street food. Remember that porchetta is the queen of street food! It is not difficult to find tasty ones, but with our advices you can be sure and choose a truly special one. Let’s see together which are the best places to try porchetta in the center of Rome:

Antico Forno Roscioli (Via dei Chiavari, 34)

Norcineria Viola dal 1890 (Campo de’ Fiori, 43)

Salsamenteria Ruggeri (Campo de’ Fiori, 1)

Er Buchetto dal 1890 (Via del Viminale, 2F)

Mizio’s Street Food (Via degli Zingari, 54A)

La Vita è un mozzico (Via Angelo Brunetti, 4)