Roman Jewish Ghetto's antipasto—sliced Roman zucchini fried golden in oil, then layered with mentuccia (Roman mint), garlic, parsley, and white wine vinegar and left to marinate for hours or overnight. Served cold, it is a defining taste of cucina giudaico-romanesca.
Concia di Zucchine belongs to cucina giudaico-romanesca, the cuisine born within Rome's Jewish Ghetto. After Pope Paul IV's 1555 papal bull confined the community to a narrow riverside enclave, its cooks developed a repertoire centered on affordable vegetables, including the distinctive ribbed Roman zucchina romanesca. 'Concia,' from the Italian conciare (to tan, to preserve), names the technique of frying then marinating in vinegar—a method shared with Venice's carpione and Naples's scapece, all variations on an ancient Mediterranean preservation technique. The Roman Jewish version is set apart by mentuccia romana, a local calamint-adjacent herb absent from the Neapolitan version. The dish remains a staple on trattorie menus in the former Ghetto district.
Chilled and tangy—golden-fried coins of Roman zucchini softened by vinegar, fragrant with mint and garlic, melting into something between a pickle and a salad.
Frying creates Maillard browning on the zucchini surface, building flavor compounds and firming the cell walls. The subsequent vinegar marinade lowers pH, partially denaturing pectin and relaxing the cell structure for a tender—not mushy—texture. Acetic acid draws moisture from the cells via osmosis, concentrating flavor while infusing the herb aromatics. Overnight marination allows volatile terpenes in mentuccia and garlic's allicin breakdown compounds to equilibrate throughout the flesh.
Variations
Neapolitan zucchine a scapece swaps mentuccia for basil and adds sugar; a Venetian carpione version uses onion, sage, and white wine with less vinegar. Some Roman cooks add dried chili, others use sherry vinegar for complexity.
On the Palate
Where Concia di Zucchine sits in the Italian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
6 steps · 15 min
- 15 min
Wash and trim Roman zucchini; cut crosswise into rounds about 5 mm thick.
- 215 min
Heat abundant oil in a wide skillet to 180°C; fry zucchini rounds in batches until deep golden on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and season lightly with salt.
Watch outFry the zucchini to deep golden and firm, not pale-soft — the browning and set cell walls are what keep it tender-not-mushy after the vinegar soak.
- 35 min
Peel and thinly slice 2–3 garlic cloves; strip mentuccia and parsley leaves.
- 45 min
In a deep dish, layer fried zucchini with garlic slices, mentuccia, and parsley; drizzle each layer with white wine vinegar.
- 5360 min
Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 5–6 hours, ideally overnight.
Watch outMarinate at least 5-6 hours, ideally overnight — the vinegar and herbs need time to work through the flesh, and a short soak leaves it sharp on the surface only.
- 65 min
Taste and adjust vinegar or salt before serving cold or at room temperature.
