I know: we all love Italian food, but can we be more specific? What should you eat when you go to Rome? I like trying local food as much as possible when I visit a city. You can learn about a city through its food as much as anything else. Food should also be on the list of the major tourist attractions in Rome.
So, what to eat in Rome?
Without further ado, here are the most delicious things to eat in Rome. While you’ll find lots of good food in Rome, make sure you don’t miss any of these goodies:
When possible, avoid the most touristy areas and walk to the more quiet neighborhoods to enjoy lunch or dinner as locals do. If you want to take the food back home with you, I guess joining a cooking class in Rome is the best way to do it.
1. Pasta cacio e pepe
This is a simple yet delicious dish with only 3 main ingredients: fresh pasta, pecorino cheese, and roughly crushed black pepper. The ideal pasta is tonnarelli, but any type of fresh pasta will do. The pecorino is a salted, matured sheep cheese. It gives an intense flavor to this dish, complemented perfectly by the black pepper. The secret is to add some water from the pasta to the sauce. The starch will add to a silky, delicious sauce. Try the dish in the Trastevere neighborhood! I guarantee this cacio e pepe recipe will become one of your favorite dishes.
2. Pasta Carbonara
By Kate Storm from Our Escape Clause
Of the four traditional types of pasta in Rome, carbonara may just be the most decadent.
Made with egg, cracked black pepper, guanciale (pork cheek/jowl), and cheese (typically pecorino-romano or Parmigiano Reggiano), carbonara is creamy, heavy, and delicious, perfect for a winter day in Rome.
Typical Roman carbonara contains absolutely no cream or milk, despite its texture. However, outside of its home city of Rome, you’ll generally find the dish prepared with cream-and that goes even for other cities in Italy.
For that reason, it is important to enjoy this dish as much as you can during your time in the Eternal City.
3. Carciofi alla giudia (fried artichokes)
Carciofi alla giudia are Jewish-style artichokes. The Italian and especially the Roman cuisine use a lot of artichokes. However, I never found this particular dish anywhere else. The Jewish-style artichokes are deep-fried at high temperatures, just enough to flourish and become crunchy like potato chips. The best season for fresh artichokes is from January to February. Try them in Mercato Testaccio and also in the Jewish Quarter, near Teatro Marcello.
4. Salumi Board
By Denise from Chef Denise
In Rome, Salumi boards of assorted cured meats like prosciutto, salami, and mortadella, are eaten before dinner paired with an aperitivo or a glass of wine. Before dinner can be immediately preceding the meal or hours before dinner time.
Salumi boards appear on restaurant menus under “Antipasti” look for the regional specialties: Mortadella di Amatrice, Prosciutto di Amatrice, Coppiette (similar to a pork jerky), Susianella (pork offal sausage). Or visit a salumeria (salumi shop) like L’Antica Salumeria near the Pantheon or La Salumeria Castel Sant’Angelo and purchase your own selection for a picnic!
5. Caldarroste
Caldarroste are the roasted chestnuts you can find in every crowded place throughout central Rome. Buy a few in a paper cone while walking through Campo de’Fiori.
6. Tiramisu
Tiramisu translates literally to “pull me up“. If you feel a little down, a good tiramisu should do the trick and lift your spirits. Though it looks sophisticated, it’s a pretty straightforward dessert. It needs very fresh eggs, mascarpone cheese, sugar, and ladyfingers dipped in coffee. Add some cocoa powder, and it’s ready.
I got the chance to make my own Tiramisu in Rome, and I’m really proud of it. If you want to book the Pasta class and you’re new to Airbnb, click here to get a discount for your first experience and stay booking.
7. Gelato
Well, gelato is not necessarily a typical Roman thing, but it’s impossible not to try a few flavors when you come across so many inviting ice cream shops. Try the Old Bridge gelateria near the Vatican or the one on Tiber Island.
These are the top 7 delicious things to taste in Rome. Similarly, there are many other things to try like bruschetta, lasagna, all kinds of platters of cold cuts and cheeses, pizza, fried zucchini flowers, or suppli.
Don’t forget about the coffee either. Start your morning with a cappuccino and later have an espresso standing at the bar, as Italians do.
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