The Roman Stracciatella is a typical soup from Roman peasant cuisine.
It was created to reuse leftover broth, but its main ingredient is egg combined with grated Parmesan cheese.
The name comes from the fact that the egg mixture, when stirred into the broth, forms small shreds.
The recipe is dedicated to the song “Incoscenti giovani” by Achille Lauro, for the Festival Menu 2025, set in the Roman suburbs, featuring two tormented young lovers, a retro song that tells the simplicity of love.
For Valentine’s Day, I wanted to create a set that elevates this humble dish to a restaurant-level entrée.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2People
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas, Easter
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup Parmesan or Pecorino cheese (grated)
- 4 1/4 cups meat broth
- to taste salt
- to taste nutmeg
Steps
Beat the eggs with the cheese, salt, and nutmeg.
Pour into the hot broth and stir quickly with a fork.
Serve immediately.
Meat Broth with Slow Cooker
You can prepare the meat broth with a slow cooker:
Place the meat (1.1 lbs for 8.5 cups of water), vegetables (carrot, onion, celery), peppercorns, and salt in the slow cooker .
Then cover with water.
Set the switch to LOW and let it cook for 8 hours (HIGH for 5 hours).
At the end of cooking, skim the broth to remove fat.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Is Stracciatella a purely Roman dish?
No, Stracciatella is a typical dish of Roman, Romagna, Marche, and Abruzzese cuisine, consisting of an egg-based soup with the addition of grated Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, sometimes semolina or breadcrumbs, cooked in broth.
In Romagna, it is called tardura or Paradise soup and is described by Pellegrino Artusi. Both in Romagna and Marche, breadcrumbs are also among the ingredients.
In Istrian cuisine, a similar dish is called pasta butada, as its preparation involves throwing the batter of flour, eggs, butter, and Grana into boiling broth using a fork.
