advice for raw (and organic?) in rome?

[kaybee]

Hi--

I am studying in Rome for 4 months and am trying to jump back on the raw bandwagon, as I was falling off a lot this summer. I have just arrived in Rome and am trying to sort things out in regards to availability of fresh organic stuff as well as organic dry goods like nuts and seeds. I had thought it would be easy in Rome; you always hear about all the fruits and vegetables so readily freshly available in Italy....well, i have not been impressed by the supermarkets here thus far. I guess I need to find these open air markets instead, but it seems like organic fruits and vegetables, at least from what I have heard from the other Americans I know living here, are not really readily available, or at least are not labelled as such. Im worried about pumping my body full of chemicals; for the last few years I've eaten almost only organic veggies, but I've got to eat SOMETHING ! :) fruits Im not so worried about because a lot of them you peel, which at least gets rid of some of the chemicals, and I cant usually afford most organic fruit anyway, even in the states, but im pretty adamant about having organic veggies, especially greens. HAS ANYONE LIVED IN ROME AND CAN ADVISE ME ON ORGANIC STUFF? or at least on how bad the pesticides are on the regular stuff? and/or what about juicing the non-organic stuff? do the pesticides stay in the pulp (as i have heard) or am i just giving myself a concentrated dose of liquid chemicals? some of my (non raw, non organic) friends claim the stuff is fine because it comes in right off the farms, but i keep telling them that doesnt mean its pesticide free. also, is the stuff in the grocery stores here (mushrooms etc) safe to eat raw? also, i havent yet been able to find any hfs or anything to get nuts and seeds. any advice from anyone who might have lived here? better yet, anyone on this board living in Rome? thanks a million--my housemates and the other students I know arent really concerned with organics and raw and stuff so noone knows about hfs or anything...


kaybee

[sport]

Rome's gain is Ireland's loss.
I hope that the move went well for you and look forward to seeing you back here next year.

[kaybee]

hey sport-- actually cant wait to get back to ireland! funny i should say that with italy having such a reputation for good fresh food....but at least in ireland there was an accessible hfs and i knew the stuff from my garden was fresh and chemical free! not the case here! will let u know if i end up there at christmas.

[sport]

Your best bet is to ask the natives.
The Italians like their food and are going to have good sources.
I have spent some time in Italy (In Perugia) and found the stores great. Perhaps in Rome you will have to go to the suburbs to find stores large enough to carry the range that you need.
Ask about.

[Bridle]

Hi there

You lucky duck! I was there in May-June of this year and found Italy great (2 weeks in Rome + travel). Have you had some of the fresh coconut from one the stands in Rome?

Personally found the Market on Via Principe Amadeo the best. It is located near Termini or Vitorio stop of the A line. It is the former milk plant and is only open in the mornings Monday-Saturday. Many of the vendors are from outside of Italy. They offer great aromatic spices, fresh herbs, fruits, lemongrass, plantains, coconut oil and vegetables. Though the fruits et al. are not labeled organic they look "real" (you know evidence of bugs, smaller ... not the 'perfect Frankenfood' we see in North America). Prices were good (cherries for 1.5 Euros/lb., herbs about same price). There are also shops in that neighborhood that sell tahini, coconut etc. Also note: You may notice maps show it on Vitorio but it has moved to Amadeo and they do sell meat from this market.

There is also a fabulous Natural Food Store on the same street as the well-known Il Gelato di San Crispino [directions: face Trevi fountain, go right and it is the about the third street on your left (many people know San Crisipino so if lost say the name and Romans will direct you). The store is called Alimenti Amici and is located at 8, Via Panetteria Tel. 06.6796259. It is 100% organic. Personally bought nuts and seeds -- the almonds were so fresh they gave a real Ka-Pow almond flavour!!!

Will send an email to my friend whose home base in Rome to get other suggestions. However, know she is away on business so it may be several weeks before I hear from her.

[Fragola]

Hi--

I am studying in Rome for 4 months and am trying to jump back on the raw bandwagon, as I was falling off a lot this summer. I have just arrived in Rome and am trying to sort things out in regards to availability of fresh organic stuff as well as organic dry goods like nuts and seeds. I had thought it would be easy in Rome; you always hear about all the fruits and vegetables so readily freshly available in Italy....well, i have not been impressed by the supermarkets here thus far. I guess I need to find these open air markets instead, but it seems like organic fruits and vegetables, at least from what I have heard from the other Americans I know living here, are not really readily available, or at least are not labelled as such. Im worried about pumping my body full of chemicals; for the last few years I've eaten almost only organic veggies, but I've got to eat SOMETHING ! :) fruits Im not so worried about because a lot of them you peel, which at least gets rid of some of the chemicals, and I cant usually afford most organic fruit anyway, even in the states, but im pretty adamant about having organic veggies, especially greens. HAS ANYONE LIVED IN ROME AND CAN ADVISE ME ON ORGANIC STUFF? or at least on how bad the pesticides are on the regular stuff? and/or what about juicing the non-organic stuff? do the pesticides stay in the pulp (as i have heard) or am i just giving myself a concentrated dose of liquid chemicals? some of my (non raw, non organic) friends claim the stuff is fine because it comes in right off the farms, but i keep telling them that doesnt mean its pesticide free. also, is the stuff in the grocery stores here (mushrooms etc) safe to eat raw? also, i havent yet been able to find any hfs or anything to get nuts and seeds. any advice from anyone who might have lived here? better yet, anyone on this board living in Rome? thanks a million--my housemates and the other students I know arent really concerned with organics and raw and stuff so noone knows about hfs or anything...


kaybee

Hi Kaybee, I have been living in Rome, and I have been raw in Rome. I worked for an organic restaurants with many raw dishes, shame is not longer existent... anyhow, I don't know where you live in Rome, but I used to spend all my money at the Emporium Naturae, in Viale delle Milizie 7/a and I hope the shop is still there!!

If you check this link you can find all the health food shops that sell organic food in Rome and surroundings, there are quite a few (but not all of them sell fresh stuff, some are more like herbal shops, you will have to check them)!!

http://www.aiab.it/nuovosito/tavola/comprarebio/negozi/regione.php/7

If you buy not organic, stay away from grapes. I also do not like to but not organic greens and mushrooms, mushrooms adsorb everything from the soil! It is difficult to say what is best when it is about not organic stuff, unless you know the producer.

You can go to a couple of organic street markets, every second sunday of the month in Trastevere - Via Cardinale Merry del Val, Roma (RM) and every last sunday of the month in Vicolo della Moretta, Roma (RM)

If you want and if you can you could aso go to some farmers to buy directly from them, having a look at the countryside and saving some money. The following link is a list of farmers in the area of Rome which grow organic

http://www.aiab.it/nuovosito/tavola/comprarebio/aziende/regione.php/7

Enjoy!!!

[eatyourbroccoli]

heey..i studied at john cabot last fall! are you there or at AUR?

either way..i wasnt organic while i was there because i didnt know "organic" in italian until i moved up to southern switzerland the following semester and figured it out.

where about are ya living?

have you been to supperclub yet? or testaccio?

[kaybee]

hey--thanks for the advice. ill definitely check out those markets. in my wanderings today i found a tiny natural foods shop where i was able to get sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, sea salt, flax seeds, amaranth to sprout, so at least ive got some protein and carbs other than veggies. Hey--seeing as some of you have lived here, what about advice on the following:


-olive oil--if its extra virgin by mechanical means, can I assume its raw? I found one brand of organic in the grocery store that ive been using, but i wonder if theres other fresher locally available stuff and/but how would I know if its raw.....or is cold pressed generally OK?

-OLIVES: where do i get raw olives? how do i know theyre raw? *by the way I speak NO italian*

-Honey

hey--anywhere I can get figs or dates? i was thrilled when i found dates in the grocery store that looked fresh and were real cheap--until i got them home and saw that they were soaked in glucose syrup....DATES WITH SUGAR ADDED???!!! go figure.....


thanks for the link to the organic farms--I would love to go direct to farms but wouldnt even know where to start as far as getting to them....

eatyourbroccili--im actually going to the Angelicum ie the pontifical university of st. thomas aquinas its in ?Largo? near the forum, i think; just trying to finish up my graduate work for my program in the states, need 5 more courses. im living in fiera di roma (sp?) sharing an apt with 2 other americans. i have to say, after spending the summer in ireland and this time here now, i really think raw food was easiest in the states with all the co-ops, Whole Foods, etc. and i definitely took it for granted. i could have whatever i wanted whenever i wanted (dates, nuts, greens, parsely, fruit, seaweed, avocados), in large amounts and usually cheap as well (at least compared to europe) and usually organic too..... in ireland, i loved the organic garden we had this summer, and there were things like unrefined cold pressed sesame oil that are rare elsewhere, and sea vegetables were easily available too--(though before the garden was flourishing it was impossible to get greens except lettuce and spinach}, but fruit was really hard to get and dates and nuts were impossibly unaffordable. Now in Rome things like avocados, dates, seaweed, and organic greens seem hard to get or impossibly expensive, but olive oil is cheap and fruit seems cheaper than ireland.... the bread here is really my weakness though; ive been trying to stay raw but i keep being after the bread here and i havent even got a dehydrator here to even try to concoct a substitute....

whats supperclub and testaccio?

[Fragola]

hey--thanks for the advice. ill definitely check out those markets. in my wanderings today i found a tiny natural foods shop where i was able to get sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, sea salt, flax seeds, amaranth to sprout, so at least ive got some protein and carbs other than veggies. Hey--seeing as some of you have lived here, what about advice on the following:


-olive oil--if its extra virgin by mechanical means, can I assume its raw? I found one brand of organic in the grocery store that ive been using, but i wonder if theres other fresher locally available stuff and/but how would I know if its raw.....or is cold pressed generally OK?

-OLIVES: where do i get raw olives? how do i know theyre raw? *by the way I speak NO italian*

-Honey

hey--anywhere I can get figs or dates? i was thrilled when i found dates in the grocery store that looked fresh and were real cheap--until i got them home and saw that they were soaked in glucose syrup....DATES WITH SUGAR ADDED???!!! go figure.....


thanks for the link to the organic farms--I would love to go direct to farms but wouldnt even know where to start as far as getting to them....


whats supperclub and testaccio?

I would recommend to buy organic olive oil and honey too. If you buy this stuff organic you are sure you are getting cold pressed oil, which mean raw, and not heated honey, as the law doesn't allow this organic foods to be treated in any way but only mechanical. About the oilve oil it must have written on the label SPREMUTO A FREDDO which mean cold pressed.
About dried figs or dates, again you should try to get them organic, I know, for some odd reason we get dates covered in sugar, and they taste horrible too!!! You can find organic figs and dates in supermerkets too, there is a brand called NOBERASCO with green package that produce organic dried fruits.

supperclub and testaccio are two areas of Rome!

[Kassandra]

You lucky thing - I'd love a chance to go to Rome :cool:

Kass.

[kaybee]

since a few of you have lived here, any idea on these 2 things:

1. avocados--anywhere to get cheap? i dont care if i have to travel across town to stock up, but im dying for them, but i cant afford 2 euro a piece for them which is what they seem to be selling for... plus ive only seen the light green kind, no hass ones, which are better....

2. BLENDER: i had one in ireland and there was no way to fit it in my luggage coming here. the cheapest ive found is 25 euro for a blender. is this what im going to have to pay or have any of you gotten any here for cheap? I thought maybe i could find one at the huge weekly sunday flea market at trestevere, but no luck. would rather not pay 25--seems like a lot but is that what im going to have to pay? glad i have my juicer here from home but really want a blender....

thanks