Coda alla Vaccinara Antica
Testaccio, Rome, Lazio
Rome's celebrated oxtail braise — the definitive Roman offal preparation. Oxtail segments braised for 4+ hours in a soffritto of celery, carrot, onion, tomato, white wine, with the ancient vaccinaro (slaughterhouse worker) finishing sauce: celery hearts, pine nuts, sultanas, bitter cocoa, and sometimes candied citron peel added in the final 30 minutes. This sweet-sour-bitter finishing sauce is what separates authentic coda alla vaccinara from simple oxtail stew. Originated in the Testaccio slaughterhouse district of Rome.