Let me tell you a secret about the Italian meal.
The best part is not always the pizza. The best part is often what comes before it.
Antipasti is Italian for “before the meal”, and this is where an evening truly begins. The first plates to share while you settle in, pour the first glass and let your shoulders drop. Skip them, and you skip the most beautiful part of the meal.
If you are planning Italian antipasti in Copenhagen, let me walk you through five classics you should start with the next time you visit our Italian restaurant in Copenhagen.
First: Why Antipasti Matter
In Italy, no one rushes past the beginning.
Antipasti is about opening the appetite and setting the tone. Small, generous plates made to be passed around the table while the conversation warms up. It is communal by nature. You are not sitting apart with your own plate. You are reaching for the same things, tasting, talking.
This is how an Italian meal is meant to begin, slowly and with a drink in hand. If you want to understand the thinking behind it, we have written more about why we start the meal with antipasti.
Here are the five I would start with.
1. Carciofi alla Romana
If you only taste one thing, let it be this one.
Carciofi alla romana is one of the great Roman classics, and it is completely vegan. Whole artichokes braised the Roman way with parsley, mint and good extra virgin olive oil, until they are as tender as butter.
It is Rome in a single bite. Simple, green, honest. Exactly the kind of food the land around Rome has always made best.
2. Vitello Tonnato
It sounds strange. It is completely delicious.
Vitello tonnato is a northern Italian classic we love too much to leave off. Thinly sliced, tender veal under a silky sauce of tuna and capers. Meat and fish on the same plate, one of those Italian combinations that should not work but absolutely does.
It is the dish I always recommend to the guest who thinks they already know what they like.
3. Caprese di Stracciatella
Our version of a classic that people think they know.
Instead of ordinary mozzarella we use stracciatella, the creamy, soft inside of the burrata. Together with ripe tomatoes and fresh basil, it comes as close to an Italian summer as you will find in Copenhagen.
Simple, seasonal, perfect. Three good ingredients, nothing to hide behind.
4. Bufala e Peperoni
For the one who wants something creamy and sweet at the same time.
Bufala e peperoni brings together an airy foam of buffalo mozzarella with roasted and marinated sweet peppers. Smoky, sweet, soft. A vegetarian plate that shows how far you can go with a few perfect ingredients and a little patience.
This is also where you taste our love for the great Italian ingredients like guanciale and pecorino, the flavours that run through our whole kitchen.
5. Coda alla Vaccinara
And then something for the one who wants to taste the real Rome.
Coda alla vaccinara is Roman soul food. A slow simmered oxtail ragù with celery, tomato and a hint of dark chocolate. It is a dish that takes hours and generations of knowledge, the food of the old butchers’ quarter of Testaccio.
Not many places in Copenhagen serve anything like it. It is part of the Roman cuisine beyond the pizza that we are most proud of.
Can’t Decide? Then Don’t
Here is my best advice. You do not have to choose.
Order the antipasti selection, our whole range of starters brought to the table, which we are happy to make vegetarian or vegan. For two people settling in for a proper evening, there is no better way to begin.
And let Danilo pour something alongside it. A glass of natural wines from our Italian wine bar in Copenhagen, chosen for exactly what you are eating. The right glass with the right plate is a small revelation in itself.
Start the Meal the Way It Should Begin
The next time you are looking for Italian antipasti in Copenhagen, come to MaMeMi in Vesterbro.
Start with a couple of classics to share. Take your time. Let the evening unfold slowly, from the first plate to the last sip of wine. This is how an Italian meal is meant to begin.
Book your table, or walk in and let us take care of the rest.
Francesco
MaMeMi is an authentic Roman style pizzeria and natural wine bar in Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Roman pizza made with a secret blend of five organic flours and 48 hour fermentation. Over 1,000 natural Italian wines curated by our sommelier Danilo. Weekend lunch every Saturday and Sunday from 12:00. Open Wednesday to Sunday. Mysundegade 28, two minutes from Enghave Plads metro.
