Grigliata

In Italy, we don’t barbecue – we grigliata.

Spring has many smells in Rome – the shucking of fresh fava beans, the sweet nectar of wisteria, and of course, the good smell of a grill.

Yes, Italians love to grill, to cook things alla brace (on the grill). Not in the American football tailgate kind of way, though I’m sure they would love it, given how much Italians know about food and cars. In Italy, a grigliata is the way to say Ciao Spring! The right way: with bellies full of meat and wine. And all of your friends around, just having a grand old time.

An invitation to a grigliata is one you don’t want to turn down. It’s a notion that someone wants to spend time with you, savoring the unbeatably beautiful rays of sun that Spring brings to Rome. But you must prepare yourself; a grigliata doesn’t just end at sunset; these parties often carry on into the night, finishing at who knows what hour – it all depends on your company and how many bottles of wine there are.

The grigliata could be in the park, but it’s always best in the countryside. Groups of friends pack themselves into as few cars as possible and drive to someone’s home or winery to sit outside, chatting, eating, and grilling the day away.

Now, grigliate (plural of grigliata) look a little different than your classic American backyard barbecue. In fact, they are technically two completely different things.

At a grigliata, there is often a real wood-burning fire. There is no Weber here. Sometimes, you’ll find a campfire or bonfire – a full-on caveman cooking situation. This is not an insult – cooking on an open fire is an actual skill. Watching friends expertly maneuver a campfire grill to cook meat to perfection was a cue that I alone wouldn’t survive in the wild.

These parties bring us back to the very beginnings of mankind. Fire was discovered as a tool for survival – but more: a community cornerstone. It’s Mother Nature’s reminder of the simple things that nurture us – the warmth of a flame, a good chiacchiarata (chat) with a loved one, and a succulent piece of meat to hush our hungry bellies. Honestly, the smell of a local steak grilling on an open fire could seduce even the most vegan; I am sure of that. Don’t get me wrong – many Italians do use grills. They are much smaller than the American ones and are often wood-stocked with a variety of wood – from ash to oak to olive – there’s a lot of flavor to play with if you’re really into grilling that way.

My first timE

It’s hard to forget your first grigliata. Mine was in Tuscany, which spoiled me a bit because the hosts really knew food. They sourced local sausages, sheep meat, and, of course, a very sexy bistecca fiorentina. There is no better way to eat it, and no single restaurant in Florence can beat this bistecca cooked at a grigliata. The open flame caramelizes and chars the steak in a way your mouth can never forget. Not to mention the meat was from the butcher down the street, in business for the last 50 years.

As you can imagine – a grigliata can look different depending on where you are in Italy. Everyone has their own meat preferences, which shift generously from the love of lamb in Lazio to the ever-famous bistecca Fiorentina in Tuscany. Still, even in Tuscany, not everyone eats a bistecca Fiorentina – it’s expensive and hard to find a good quality.

I’ll never forget being at a grigliata with friends last Spring, and the host couldn’t get the meat from his favorite butcher. Guess what? We did another grigliata just to experience how great this butcher was. I remember the steak being great. Was it better? My judgment doesn’t count – I drank copious amounts of wine that night.

There’s no grigliata without wine

At any grigliata, you need things you can sip all day and night long.

Wine is a natural part of any grigliata and every eating occasion in the Italian peninsula. There’s no better way to taste and explore a slew of wines than at this grilling affair. Every guest brings a bottle they love. Granted, your olfactory skills won’t be as strong with the smell of wood burning all around. But someone must eat all that meat; and we need wine to help us do it. That said, a grigliata is an awesome opportunity to savor white and or red wines throughout the day and throughout the seasons – from those refreshing and bright to those bold, dark, and mysterious. No matter which way you go, both represent Spring, with new vintage releases that have been waiting to pop out of the cellar.

The ever-changing grigliata

Grigliate – just like any food tradition in Italy – isn’t the same everywhere. The meat is different, the wine is different, and the people are different. That’s what makes Italy the giant 116,631 square-mile layer cake of culture that it is.

We cannot deny that Italy is literally and culturally part of the global food trade. Young Italians are falling in love with foreign food traditions and trends, from ramen to southern American barbecue. Pulled pork is now a well-recognized food in Italy. So, don’t be surprised if you pull up to an Italian grigliata with burgers on the grill. It’s always a possibility.

Do Italians do burgers better? I’ll save that answer for another day.