It was my first day in Rome and I bounded off to Vatican City with two recent acquaintances – an American and a Russian. We’d spent the day walking around the museums and basilica, immersing ourselves in art, culture and history. As we indulged our mind with conversations about life, we politely ignored the rumblings of our tummies.
As the day drew to a close and we exited the Vatican, attempting to find our way to the nearest metro, we chanced upon a small restaurant offering set menus – wine, main course, dessert.
While the rest of Europe was still wrapped up in trench coats and boots, Italy had long shed such winter essentials. So we sat on tables set out in the street, edging away from the striped red and white umbrella overhead, so that we could bask in the evening sun. Collectively, we decided to order the Italian trademarks for the main course – they chose the pizza and pasta, I went for the lasagna alla bolognese.
It was a modest portion offered on my plate, sliced carelessly and oozing saucily. A thin layer of ricotta cheese, ever so lightly crisp, coated the layer on top and powdered parmesan cheese was sprinkled over the dish to add texture and taste. There was an additional layer of mozzarella somewhere in there, sandwiched between soft sheets of pasta. The juicy ground beef was engulfed in tomato-basil sauce, which had an extra pinch of salt, accentuating its flavour. With garlic and parsley, this lasagna redefined what Italian cuisine meant to my Indian palette.
