I suppose it's knowing that -- despite my atheism -- I, along with my family and friends who are North American Jews, share cultural links with these Italians that have lasted for all these millennia and across the continents. There is something powerful about going into the bakery in the Ghetto, and struggling to communicate with the gruff women behind the counter in my pathetic verbal morsels of Italian, yet still being able to seamlessly wish each other a happy holiday in the 4 or 5 words of Hebrew that I understand.
In any event, one of the best things about learning a little regarding the Jewish culture in Roma is discovering the different culinary traditions that exist here. One traditional dessert that Roman Jews eat during Rosh Hashanah is a cake called lo storto. I've never seen a lo storto cake or anything like it in an American home during Rosh Hashanah -- and I did go to 2 such dinners every year before I moved to California. Lo Storto is shaped like a half-moon, and is made of almond paste, pine nuts, and raisins. It has a glazed crust. Here's what it looks like:
To give you a sense of scale, this cake is about the size of a football. It's dense too. To be honest, it looks better than it tastes. Unlike the other dolci I've had at the Ghetto bakery, I didn't love this one. But still cool to try it!
If you want more information, Katie Parla has, as usual, written a wonderful piece on the "Roman Jewish Culinary Traditions on Rosh Hashanah." You can read her post -- which includes recipes -- here:
parlafood.com/roman-jewish-culinary-traditions-on-rosh-hashanah/
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