Rome Best Food to Try

Delectable Foods You Must Eat While Vacationing in Rome

The cuisine over in Rome may seem simple to you at first, but once you taste the flavors within even the simplest dish, you will be in love.  Now, it is true that you can find many different types of foods in Rome, but since they say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”, this is what you do.  That means you must try all the traditional foods when you are vacationing in Rome.  But don’t worry, you won’t regret one single bite!

Delectable Foods You Must Eat While Vacationing in Rome

Cacio e Pepe

You might let out a little moan when you take your first bite of Cacio e Pepe, despite the fact that there are only three ingredients in this whole dish.  A little cooking water from the pasta is mixed with pecorino Romano cheese and freshly ground black pepper and tossed with the pasta that is cooked perfectly to al dente.  This dish was originally created in Rome, so you know you will not find it prepared better anywhere else in the world. 

Allesso di Bollito

There was a time when beef was really expensive over in Rome, so people had to be creative when they wanted to eat it.  One of the dishes that was made at that time was Allesso di Bollito, which is a simmered beef.  The beef is placed on a roll that has been dipped into the juices the beef was simmering in. 

Coda alla Vaccinara

Oxtail is a meat that you will not find in many restaurants back home, but it is a delicacy over in Rome.  Most places cook the oxtail slowly, so the meat practically falls off the bones when they go to serve it.  While you can order this on top of pasta, you may prefer it when it is served in a thick tomato stew. 

Gelato

You will not be able to go too far in Rome before you run into your first gelato shop, but make sure the one you purchase your gelato from is one of the best.  It is recommended to only get gelato from the shops that use all-natural ingredients, because the taste is so much better.  Once you have found such a location, you can choose whichever flavor sounds good to you at the time. 

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

The Carbonara part of this dish combines eggs, parmesan, and bacon before tossing it all with spaghetti.  Most Roman restaurants will not use bacon though and choose to use either pancetta or guanciale instead.  While this is often served with spaghetti, you can get this with rigatoni, or other types of pasta, in some restaurants. 

Fiori di Zucca

Fiori di Zucca is zucchini shaped into a flower and stuffed with fresh mozzarella and anchovies before being battered and fried.  The flavoring is perfect, but you can order it without the anchovies in some places if you do not want to be that adventurous on your Roman vacation. 

Suppli

Suppli is an excellent snacky food and one that you must devour in between the attractions when you are in Rome.  Inside the crispy outside is tomato flavored rice and a small piece of fresh mozzarella cheese.  If the rice just isn’t doing it for you, there are many other varieties of suppli, you just need to find the one that you will love the most. 

Carciofi alla Giudìa

This dish is part of Jewish Roman cuisine and it is best enjoyed in the early spring when the artichokes are being harvested.  To prepare this dish, the artichokes are opened and placed in a mixture of water and lemon juice before being seasoned with a little salt and pepper and fried in olive oil.  You will know you want more after your first bite, so be ready to keep others away or order extras. 

Maritozzo

Maritozzo is a sweet decadent dessert that can also be eaten for breakfast if you can find them at that hour.  This puffy pastry is filled with so much fresh whipped cream that it oozes out of the sides.  You may want to eat less during a meal to have room for one, or maybe two, of these. 

Caprese Salad

When you are ready for a light meal, the caprese salad is what you will want to choose.  A simple layering of fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, and fresh basil topped with a touch of olive oil and pepper.  Super fresh and very delicious!  You may even want to choose this as an appetizer before a bigger meal. 

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

The sauce for this spaghetti dish comes together rather quickly with tomatoes, anchovies, chilies, capers, and black olives.  Simply mix everything together and cook for a little bit before tossing with cooked spaghetti. 

Pork Braised in Milk

You will need to search a little bit to find a restaurant that serves pork braised in milk, but the effort will be worthwhile when you take your very first bite.  To prepare this dish, the pork is marinated in wine for twenty-four hours and then the pork in transferred to a pan filled with whole milk to cook slowly.  As you can see, this dish has a lengthy process, which is why not many people do it.  However, you may be tempted to try it at home after you have had it in Rome. 

Cicoria

You are definitely not going to eat Italian chicory, or Cicoria, at any time of the year in Rome, because this dish is only available during the winter months.  Cicoria is quite bitter, probably the most bitter greens you will ever taste.  However, you won’t notice the bitterness if they are cooked properly.  The best places will prepare them with olive oil, lots of garlic, and just a hint of chili. 

Pizza

The pizza in Rome is normally round and has a thin and crispy crust.  You can choose from numerous toppings for your pizza, but for your first one, it is recommended that you go with the Margherita.  The toppings for that pizza will include tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil.  The limited toppings will allow you to fully taste and appreciate the crust. 

Saltimbocca

Saltimbocca translates to jumps in your mouth, so you might already have a good idea of how tasty this dish really is.  Veal is pounded really thin before being stuffed with prosciutto and sage and rolled.  At that point, the rolled-up veal is placed in a mixture of butter and white wine and cooked.  Some restaurants prepare this dish better than others and you will know you are eating some of the best Saltimbocca if it melts in your mouth with each bite. 

Porchetta

Porchetta is a pork roast that is removed from the bones, seasoned with herbs, and spit roasted until it is falling apart.  The Porchetta is then generally used to make sandwiches.  Although, you could easily eat it without the bread. 

Torta Ricotta e Visciole

While you will find many different pastries throughout the shops in Rome, it will be the Torta Ricotta e Visciole that you return to time after time.  This tart has ricotta cheese and sour cherries on top and it will remind you of the richest cheesecake you have ever eaten.  If you are having difficulty finding these tarts, you will want to head over to one of the Jewish pastry shops. 

Bucatini all’Amatriciana

The sauce for this dish is tomato based and guanciale, or pork jowl, is added for more flavor.  The noodles in this dish are bucatini and they are thick and hollow noodles that look similar to spaghetti.  This dish can be quite messy, so eat with caution and try not to slurp. 

Baccalà

Baccalà is basically fried cod and it is a delicious dish you can eat on the go if you order it from certain restaurants.  The cod is salted before being dipped in egg batter and fried.  You will receive your Baccalà steaming hot, so you might want to wait a minute or two before sinking your teeth into it. 

Cesare al Casaletto

Cesare al Casaletto is a rich and hearty dish that will really fill you up at mealtime.  The sauce is prepared using tomatoes, guanciale, pecorino Romano, and white wine.  Depending on where you order this dish, you may find onions it is too.  Once the sauce has cooked slowly for hours it will be tossed with pasta for you to enjoy. 

Bruschetta

You are probably used to the bruschetta that you are served back home, which is always served with tomatoes on top.  However, Roman Bruschetta is only topped with olive oil and garlic.  Some restaurants in Rome may add the tomatoes nowadays, so you may want to double check that you are getting the authentic Roman Bruschetta when you place your order. 

Gnocchi

Gnocchi is very difficult to make, which is why you probably will not have had this dish before visiting Rome.  Gnocchi can be tossed with butter and cheese or you will find it served with red sauce or pesto.  This is often served as a side dish, but if you are not that hungry, you can always choose to have it as your main meal. 

These are the delectable foods that you will want to try at least once when you are vacationing in Rome.  While you may not claim them all as favorites, you should at least have a few new dishes that you will love to eat every time you return to this fabulous city.