WHAT TO EAT IN ROME

WHAT TO EAT IN ROME 

Italian cuisine is famous worldwide for the quality of its ingredients and the mastery of mixing them.
There are many Italian dishes that everybody should taste once in their lives, but in this article, we will consider almost exclusively the plates of the Roman/Jewish tradition.

ARTICHOKES JEWISH STYLE (CARCIOFI ALLA GIUDIA) 

Are considered appetizers or side dishes and are an example of the Roman deep-frying technique.

FRIED COD (BACCALA’ FRITTO) 

Let’s start by saying that fried cod is not the same fish as “fish and chips.”
“Baccalà Fritto” is the art of deep-frying, and Rome is its homeland. It can be an appetizer or the main fish course. It seems that one of the secrets is to soak the dehydrated cod for more than two days.

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA (‘NA CARBONARA) 

The carbonara recipe has changed several times over the years, and … unfortunately, there are still some restaurants around the world that use garlic, cream, milk, and two or three types of different cheeses.
The carbonara ingredients are pork cheek (not bacon), egg (mostly the yolk), pecorino cheese, pepper, and nothing else. Remember that it’s a carbonara, not an omelet ….. the egg must be fresh and undercooked.

BUCATINI ALL’AMATRICIANA (NA’MATRICIANA)

Amatriciana takes its name from Amatrice, a small town near Rieti (80 Km from Rome). It seems that the first Amatriciana made in Rome was at a restaurant called “The Guy From Amatrice” – “L’Amatriciano,” located near Ponte Sant’Angelo and Navona square, where there also used to be an old market where people from Rieti used to sell their food products. The real Amatriciana ingredients are pork cheek of Amatrice (not bacon), Pecorino cheese, and fresh tomato sauce. The pasta to be used is Bucatini, which looks like thick spaghetti, but has a hole running through its center. Avoid eating Bucatini all’Amatriciana while wearing a white shirt.

RIGATONI ALL GRICIA

The “Gricia” also comes from the Amatrice area and differs from Amatriciana in three substantial ways. It doesn’t require fresh tomato sauce; it’s better to use Rigatoni (a short tube-shaped variety of pasta) instead of Bucatini, and the pork cheek arrives from Griciano (15 km away from Amatrice). Nobody knows what the differences are between an Amatrice Pork and a Griciano Pork, but it seems essential to underline the different origins. It’s possible to eat Rigatoni alla Gricia wearing a white shirt, but carefully.

SPAGHETTI CHEESE AND PEPPER (SPAGHETTI CACIO E PEPE)  

The ingredients for Cacio and Pepper Spaghetti are only Spaghetti, Pecorino, and Pepper, but making the cheese cream without lumps with cooking water and Pecorino is a real art. Another secret for cooking a perfect dish is to use whole peppercorns crushed at the moment.

PIZZA ROMANA 

The Roman Pizza differs from classic Pizza in its dough height. Roman Pizza is thinner and, therefore, more digestible. You may also find places where you can choose between several kinds of Pizza baked in rectangular trays and sold by weight, sliced. Such places are called “Pizza al Taglio” and are very interesting as they allow people to choose the quantity of each kind of Pizza they prefer.

SALTIMBOCCA ALLA ROMANA 

Saltimbocca means “jumping around the mouth,” and that alone should give you an idea of what it can be.
Ingredients include veal, prosciutto, butter, sage leaves, and flour.
It’s a second course, but sometimes you also find it rolled as a portion of finger food.

GELATO

In our opinion, nothing compares to Italian artisan Gelato. Flavors can be divided into two subcategories: creams and fruits. Chocolate, Pistachio or hazelnut (nocciola), strawberry, lemon, or pineapple are just a few of the dozens of flavors you may find in the small gelaterias around the city.

COFFEE – CAFFE

Coffee is another excellence of Italian gastronomy. There are a wide variety of coffees for such a short drink. You may hear Italians ask for a Caffé Lungo (long), Corto (short), Macchiato (stained with milk), Schiumato (foamed with milk foam), Marocchino (Moroccan, with milk and chocolate), Americano (American), Freddo (cold), but all these varieties are accepted solely out of meals. After a meal, only straight coffee is permitted: no varieties, no milk, and no Cappuccino.

LIMONCELLO

Limoncello is not a Roman invention, but is probably the best way to finish an Italian meal. Together with Amaro “Bitter,” Limoncello is considered an “ammazzacaffè,” which means “coffee killer.” It is used to remove the taste of coffee so that you can start eating again.