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Quinto Quarto (The Fifth Quarter)

A peculiar aspect of Roman cooking is Quinto Quarto, that translates to “Fifth Quarter.” What is it? At the end of last century, one of the most modern slaughterhouses in Europe was built in Rome, in the Testaccio suburb. Hundreds of butchers, called vaccinari, (cow workers) worked in the establishment.

Roman butchers were very skilled and famous for their ability to refine any cut of meat. At first the cows were split in half, and then in four quarters. What was left—skin, head, tail, liver, and all the rest of the offal—was called the fifth quarter. Considered meat of poor quality, the Quinto Quarto was given to the butchers to round up their meager pay. Apparently, most who received these meats sold them to the restaurants in the area.

Roman cooks have created a culinary universe of first-quality dishes around the “fifth quarter”. In about thirty years, the “inferior” cooking of the vaccinari became renowned citywide and evolved into dishes for connoisseurs. We present here one of the most famous dishes: tripe.

The large use of “weird” meats, such as the abbacchio (milk fed lamb), testina (lamb’s head), pagliata (milk-fed lamb bowels),  heels, offal, and the like has given Roman cooking a reputation of brutality and truculence. Old Roman traditional cooking has never found many fans among new immigrants and tourists. Many culinary guides don’t even mention these types of dishes.  

Roman meat cooking is not only “fifth quarter.” In reality, reflecting the melting pot of races and traditions that Rome is, Roman cooking is very versatile. Its repertory includes side by side delicate gourmet dishes, like the Saltimbocca, and robust home dishes like the Garofolato a meat stewed in tomato with cloves.

Pietro Mascioni

Il Macello (Roman butcher shop), engraving by B. Pinelli, 1831. Many shoppers  line up to buy meat cut to order on the spot. A sign on the wall reads “veal 7 per pound”.

The Intriguing Roman Cooking (3)