Mordi e Vai

Mordi e Vai is a sandwich stall of legendary standing inside the Mercato di Testaccio, set up by someone who used to work as a butcher and turned the quinto quarto, the humblest strand of Roman cooking, into fillings for bread. Tripe, offal, brisket and artichokes all come from that tradition, and among them is allesso di scottona, brisket braised slowly until soft and served in a roll that has been dipped in the meat’s broth, with bitter cicoria and some chilli. For a sandwich that satisfies, nothing in the city tops it.

The roll worth asking for is the allesso di scottona. Brisket is braised slowly until tender, then packed into bread that has been dunked in the cooking broth, with cicoria for bitterness and a hint of chilli to finish. As sandwiches go, it comes close to perfect. Get to the market in the morning, ahead of lunch.