What is 'mentuccia' in Roman cooking?
Spaghetti con tartare di orata e gamberi
B2 Italian listening practice · Roman Italian · Curated for upper-intermediate learners
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