Among many beautiful memories I have of Christmas 1993, I remember how much I loved English Christmas pudding with smooth, white cream. Last Christmas, in fact, I was in Derby (England). It was my very first White Christmas...and I'm still dreaming of it. But among the presents I took to my English friends was a traditional, Italian cake because I've never celebrated Christmas without a traditional Panettone. The Panettone, together with the Torrone Romano, the Pangiallo Romano, the Torta di mandorle, the Pandolce, the Ricciarelli di Siena, the Panforte, the Pandoro, frutta Marturana (Pasta di Mandorle), dryed fruit, Datteri and figs (filled with almonds and heated up in the oven) are traditional Italian desserts and sweets. I can try describing them for you, but the best way to get to know them is to taste them! However, here I go: 

Panettone: Speciality of Milan. Shape: It looks like a dome. Colors: brown outside, yellow inside. Ingredients: Flour, eggs, sugar, candieds, raisins, citron. 

Torrone Romano (White): Speciality of Rome. Shape: bar. Ingredients: Roasted almonds and pistachio, honey and sugar. Note: Hard to bit and chewy. 

Pangiallo: Speciality of Rome. Ingredients: Flour, raisins, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts and pine seeds. 

Pandolce: Speciality of Genoa. Like Panettone, this cake is unleavened. 

Ricciarelli di Siena: Speciality of Siena. Small cake made of almonds and sugar. Shape: It looks like a lance, or a diamond. 

Panforte: Speciality of Siena. Shape: round and flat. Ingredients: Flour, sugar, candieds, almonds and spices. 

Pandoro: Speciality of Verona. Shape: Since the horizontal section is in the shape of a star, we cut the Pandoro in such a way as to mantain that shape. The name is composed of pane (bread) and d'oro (of gold), probably because of its colour. Ingredients: Flour, butter, eggs and brewer's yeast. 

Frutta Marturana: Speciality of Sicily (Sicily is a big almond producer. The almond tree originaet in Persia, but is now found in all Mediterranean countries). The dough, made from powdered almonds, sugar and egg white, is modelled into the shape of a fruit and then painted. 

Datteri (dates), and dried figsare also eaten at this time of the year. 

Sweets aside, other traditional Christmas and New Year goodies are: Lenticchie (lentils), Zampone (stuffed pig's trotter), Cotechino (pork sausage) and smoked fish like Salmone (salmon), Storione (sturgeon), Anguilla (eel), Pesce Spada (swword-fish) and Trota (trout). 

The Cotechino it's a sort of big sausage which needs to be boiled. It's made by filling sausage skins with a mixture of pork and boiled bacon rind. It's served with lentils. The lentils from Castelluccio particulary are famous in Italy. That's all from me this month about traditional Italia cooking. I hope I've succeeded in awakening your curiosity in (and appetite for!) Italian and, more to the point, Roman specialities! 

A place where you are sure to find all these delicacies and at a good price is CAFFE' CASTRONI, a bar and food shop at Via Flaminia 28/29, about a hundred meters from P.le Flaminio (Underground line A). Whilst there, you can also try a NOVELLO RED WINE (the new wine!) or an artistic Cappuccino since the barmen decorate their coffees with pretty designs. An added bonus: they always give you a chocolate with your coffee! If you like to make Mexican, Chinese or Japanise food then you'll also be interested in Castroni's, which stocks all the ingedients you need, whilst for Anglo-Saxon cooking, you'll find cranberry sauce and canned sweet potatoes. I think it must be one of the best stocked food shops in Rome! What's more, you can ask the owner, Gianfranco, for some cooking tips as he keeps a small library of cookbooks from all over the world there in his shop. 

GOOD AND CHEAP TRATTORIE: In areas like Trastevere , Testaccio, the Ghetto and San Lorenzo, it's easy to bump into a good place to eat with home-cooking, a nice atmosphere and good prices. The following ones are the ones I know and recommend: 

TRATTORIA DA CORRADO - Via della Pelliccia, 39 (Trastevere). One of my favourites. (15-20.000 lire per person) 

HOSTERIA (without a name) - Via del Governo Vecchio 18/19 (P.zza Navona). Here is where I often used to go. Normally, you can choose from 2 or 3 main courses and vegetables, or warm soup of the day. All the classic varieties of pasta are available, but if you are in a group of four, do not ask for 4 different sauces as it would not be fair on the poor lady in the kitchen!Their regulars at lunch time include workmen...it means a lot! (15-20.000 lire per person) 

EDMONDO - Via del Boschetto (Via Nazionale) - Good choice of salads and delicatessen. Crostini, Bruschette, sausages and cheeses. (15-20.000 lire per person) 

HOSTERIA (without a name) - P.zza delle Cinque Scole, 5 (the Ghetto) 

IL POMPIERE - Via S. Maria de'Calderari, 38 (the Ghetto) - Good restaurant; it offers a special priced menu at lunch time called the 'pranzo di lavoro' (work lunch menu). Good traditional Roman cooking. (15-30.000 lire p.p.) 

IL CIAK - Vicolo del Cinque, 21 (Trastevere) - Traditional Tuscan cuisine. Game (cacciagione). Here you can find very good polenta as we make it in Lazio too, with a sauce based on tomatoes, sausages and a lot of Pecorino - a cheese made from sheep's milk! (Here, a full meal could cost a bit more, from 20-40.000 lire, but it's worth it) It's best to reserve a table. Call 589.47.74 

TRATTORIA DA LUCIA - Vicolo del Mattonato (Trastevere) - Very good traditional Roman cooking! Try the 'Amatriciana in bianco'! (15-20.000 lire p.p.) 

VINI, OLII, LIQUORI - Via dei Falegnami (the Ghetto) - Normally a 'Vini e Olii', it's a shop where you can buy wines and oils. At lunchtime it's possible to eat and it's very cheap: 5.000 lire for a bowl of Pasta and 1.000 for a glass of wine! 

Other Places: If you would like a cheap lunch of pizza with any filling, you should try the BAKERY on Via del Governo Vecchio 28/29. It's a wonderful discovery! Two tireless old men make fresh white pizza and for about 3.000 lire you can get a large helping with your choice of filling: salami, salads and cheeses. In the winter, I recommend a speciality: hot white pizza filled with ricotta cheese and Nutella chocolate! It's simply wonderful! Ice Cream in the winter? I've seen some tourists still asking for it. If you feel the same way, until the 15th of the month you can still taste the best ice-cream in Rome. You can find it at the CREMERIA MONTEFORTE, where they make ice-cream similar to that made in Sicily. The CREMERIA is located on Via della Rotonda, 22, next to the Pantheon. 

FRESH CROISSANTS! If it's late at night and you are still up and around Trastevere, it could be a good idea to have some freshly made warm croissants or to get some for your breakfast! There's a croissant shop located on Vicolo del Cinque (Trastevere). 

JEWISH CAKE SHOP - Near the Portico d'Ottavia (in the Ghetto) you can find a great Jewish cake shop. Try some of the biscuits and cakes they make. I have a friend in England who would come back to Rome just for that! You can find this shop on Via del Portico d'Ottavia,1. I hope you enjoy my advice and...

BUON APPETITO!