Spaghetti con tartare di orata e gamberi
B2 Italian listening practice · Italian · Curated for upper-intermediate learners
What is 'mentuccia' in Roman cooking?
Mentuccia is Roman cucina romanesca's favorite green. Botanically it’s Calamintha nepeta, smaller and grassier than the menta you put in mojitos. Romans throw it whole-leaf into carciofi alla romana (braised artichokes), trippa alla romana (tripe stew), and any number of trattoria seafood pastas. Italian cookbooks outside Lazio rarely call for it; in Rome it’s a staple.
In this clip, Roman chef Max Mariola cooks spaghetti with sea-bream and shrimp tartare and stages mentuccia twice: once early to perfume the oil, then torn at the end. Coaching his guest: « mentuccia, le foglie le butti, mi raccomando » (mentuccia, toss in the leaves, I’m telling you). Three garnishes finish: chili rings, mentuccia flowers, parsley.
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Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · OpenSubtitles 2018 (HermitDave) (spoken). Buckets approximate; exact ranks not stored.
- ▸In Roman trattorie like Felice a Testaccio and Roscioli where carciofi alla romana arrive with *mentuccia* still on the leaves
- ▸On Italian cooking channels by Roman chefs: Max Mariola (this clip) and Luciano Monosilio on YouTube and Instagram
- ▸In Italian food writing on Gambero Rosso and Dissapore when columnists trace Roman herb traditions
- ▸At Roman markets like Campo de' Fiori and Mercato Trionfale where bunches of mentuccia show up next to erba cipollina and prezzemolo