The Italian tart that tricked the Pope

Some say Rome's "Crostata di ricotta e visciole" (ricotta and sour cherry tart) symbolises Jewish ingenuity and resilience in the face of oppression. But there's more to the story.

In Rome, even something as proverbially simple as a "piece of cake" – or tart – can have hidden layers of history, resilience and even mischief tucked away between the crust and the cream. The iconic Crostata di ricotta e visciole (ricotta and sour cherry tart) is the perfect example – with a creamy layer of sweet whey cheese, generous coating of jam and thick shortcrust concealing a secret.

"It is a stratagem, a work of trickery," said Ruben Bondì, a Roman Jewish chef, who became famous for his TikTok and Instagram videos in which he leans out of a balcony and asks his neighbours, "What do you want to eat">window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'alternating-thumbnails-a', container: 'taboola-below-article', placement: 'Below Article', target_type: 'mix' });