Rome, Lazio
The Roman spring ritual: milk-fed lamb rib chops ('abbacchio' — lamb under 40 days old) grilled over charcoal until the thin meat chars slightly and the fat blisters. 'Scottadito' means 'burns the fingers' — they are eaten immediately, picked up by the bone. The meat is seasoned only with salt and rosemary; no sauce, no marinade. The technique requires very high heat and brief cooking (2–3 minutes per side). The thinness of the lamb means any longer and it is overcooked.
Milk-sweet lamb, charred at the fat edges and pink at the bone, eaten by hand while burning the fingers — Rome in April, distilled into a single bitten rib chop
{"Abbacchio (milk-fed lamb, under 40 days) cut as single rib chops, 1.5cm thick — the thinness is essential for scottadito","Charcoal grill screaming hot — hold your hand 15cm above; 2 seconds maximum is correct temperature","Season with sea salt on both sides immediately before grilling; rosemary sprig used as a brush for oil","2 minutes per side maximum — the pink interior is correct; any further cooking creates a grey, dry chop","Eat immediately from the grill, standing if necessary — scottadito tolerates no waiting"}
{"Lemon wedge squeezed over immediately off the grill is the only acceptable addition","The best scottadito comes from lambs raised on the Castelli Romani and Sabina hills where the grass is fragrant","Serving with roasted spring artichokes is traditional — eat simultaneously, alternating bites"}
{"Gas grill instead of charcoal — the fat char and smoke from charcoal are not optional","Marinating before grilling — the acid in a marinade begins cooking the thin meat and prevents proper charring","Cooking fully through — the thin abbacchio becomes dry and loses the characteristic milk-sweetness"}
La Cucina Romana — Livio Jannattoni