I thought us Brits were masters of a pig sandwich. Most of us have grown up on a Saturday morning diet of sausage sarnies and bacon baps. We’ve all enjoyed a great big gorgeously greasy hog roast on Bonfire night.
Sadly, I think the Roman counterpart comes up trumps - a panino con porcehetta puts our sad and limp water-pumped sausage slapped between two slices of white hovis to shame.
Porchetta, is a fatty pork, layered with stuffing, fat and skin, rolled and roasted over a spit roast fire. It is most commonly associated (and most often produced) in Ariccia. So, whilst porchetta is available across the country, it is usually reserved for special occasions.
Here its a typical ‘street food’, sliced up and served between two slices of fresh bread or a crusty roll.
You need to find yourself a knife-wielding ‘porchettari’ (literally ‘porchetta’ man) for the best. One place you cant go wrong is in the Mercato Trionfale (open daily until 1.30pm) This sprawling market is full of porchetta specialists who will prepare it for you for around €3.
Tender, juicy morsels of meat stuffed into a crusty roll. It’s worth the calories. Just don't eat it too late in the day. You really need to work it off.
Porchetta di Aricola IGP at Mercato Trionfale
Knife-wielding man preparing a panino di porchetta