La Gricia, The Unsung Hero of Primi Piatti Romani
Thursday, 25th June 2009 | 18 Comments
The holy trinity of Roman pasta dishes are carbonara (with egg yolk, cured pork jowl, pepper, and pecorino), amatriciana (tomato sauce, cured pork jowl, spicy red peppers, and pecorino) and cacio e pepe (pecorino and black pepper). Often overlooked, but equally divine, is la gricia, made with cured pork jowl (called guanciale) and pecorino. Think of it as the diet version of carbonara…well may not, but a bit lighter at least, and a good alternative on a hot summer day like today.
June 26th, 2009 at 4:43 am
where can i get the best “la grica” in roma? it would have to be really really awesome to beat out my favorite roman pasta dish of cacio e pepe served in a shell made of (what else?)pecorino cheese!
June 29th, 2009 at 5:15 am
Deliciousness. I will have all three…At one time…And maybe some garlic bread on the side for a scarpetta.
June 29th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
@JP I love the gricia at Augustarello and at Roma Sparita (the place in Pzza S Cecilia where you had the cacio e pepe in the cheese bow!).
@Marion yes please!
June 30th, 2009 at 1:39 am
Katie~
What a nice suprise……to find “my” La Gricia on Parlafood is an quite an honor.
I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy
Enjoy
June 30th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
WOW – that would be a very difficult choice to make at Sparita….gricia or cacio e pepe. Might have to order both!
July 3rd, 2009 at 12:06 am
Oh you certainly are worthy! The most worth. Ever. Period.
May 3rd, 2010 at 12:47 pm
Ever tasted Gricia con le Pere at Il Quinto Quarto?
July 21st, 2010 at 2:02 pm
[...] dishes. Some are seasonal (carciofi alla giudia, pizza con prosciutto e fichi), others less so (spaghetti alla gricia, trippa alla romana), still others could go either way [...]
August 5th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
[...] baked. The suppli’, which include novel flavors like porchetta with Frascati wine, and gricia (with pecorino, black pepper and guanciale) are well conceived and [...]
October 12th, 2010 at 10:03 pm
[...] best dishes If a Holy Trinity exists, it would be formed by supplì, pasta cacio e unto (la gricia) and gnocchi di patate all’amatriciana. These three dishes made me see why so many diners [...]
October 26th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
[...] couple of months ago I was in Volpetti shopping for guanciale and pecorino so I could make spaghetti alla gricia. Yeah, I know August isn’t the best time for a porky pasta dish, but I was craving some. [...]
November 20th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
[...] you have to order specific things. If you get the suppli’, cacio e unto (essentially la gricia, pictured above), and l’amatricana you won’t want to eat them anywhere else. I would [...]
December 14th, 2010 at 12:37 am
[...] diet one week in November, and a general, unrelenting obsession with carbonara, amatriciana and gricia. I thought reflecting on some of the best pork moments of this year might help me cope until I am [...]
December 28th, 2010 at 3:50 pm
Yo, Katie
Gricia is my favorite. It’s also the only one of the Gang of Four I’d rather have in a good restaurant than at home made by my own hand. It’s sometimes called l’amatriciana in bianco, since it logically antedates the arrival of canned tomatoes in the mountainous northeast corner of Lazio.
It used to be practically unknown on Roman menus except the most hard-core traditional, such as Checchino, but in the last few years has been enjoying popularity previously reserved for carbonara and, a few years ago, cacio e pepe. I am guessing a lot of people are tired of being told to skip the pork fat.
January 2nd, 2011 at 3:22 am
@ eleonora no never! how is it?
@maureen i am fully obsessed with gricia. Checchino used to be my go-to spot but i recently had the dish at L’Arcangelo, where the dish is called cacio e unto and it was a cut above. happy new year!
May 24th, 2011 at 3:18 am
[...] cacio e pepe, which was tossed tableside, received high marks. I was less excited by my gricia, which was adequate, but nothing special. The guanciale was suspiciously lacking in fattiness. Was [...]
September 8th, 2011 at 11:08 pm
best gricia in rome is without a doubt at Da Gigietto at portico d’ottavia in the ghetto. at least this is what romans think and I can verify.
September 8th, 2011 at 11:38 pm
hmmm…i respectfully disagree. im sure in a survey of romans interested in food, da Giggetto wouldn’t actually come up in the conversation. in fact, the place has the reputation amongst food savvy romans as a certified tourist trap. ive got a pretty strong opinion about this place if you couldnt tell and trust me it is shared;)