Coda is usually prepared to taste sweet and sour, usually using raisins, or sometimes candied fruit or a small amount of grated bittersweet chocolate. Coda is generally prepared in advance and reheated. Leftovers can be used as a sauce for rigatoni,[4] which is then named "rigatoni al sugo di coda".[3]
History
Coda alla vaccinara was originally the specialty of the vaccinari ('butchers') of the Rione Regola in Rome, to the point that the inhabitants of that rione were nicknamed in Romanesco dialectmagnacode ('tail-eaters'). It is often found in the trattorie of Testaccio and Trastevere.[5][6]
Popular culture
Coda is the favourite dish of the protagonist Giacinto Mazzatella (Nino Manfredi) in Down and Dirty. He expresses his appreciation of the dish with the words "Oxtail and celery are like man and woman. It's all well when one sticks to the other."[7]