Spotlight on Italian Cuisine: Rome

One of the best things about traveling on an Exploring Europe tour is the food! Eating well is a priority and all tours include breakfast every morning and half of your lunches or dinners. In this article, I will talk about dining in Rome and share some of my experiences in my quest for fresh and local dishes.

The Italian Experience

While visiting Italy, you’ll not find many “ethnic” restaurants featuring food from other parts of the world.  As a general rule, Italians eat Italian food.  However, this can differ widely from what we Americans know as “Italian.”

In Italy, each region has its own cuisine that changes with the seasons.  For example, you’ll not find fresh porcini mushrooms in the spring, summer or winter… only in the autumn when they grow wild in the forest.   You wouldn’t have a hearty stew in the summer and melons would not be on the menu when they are out of season.

To get the most out of your dining in Italy one must get away from the tourist menus, eat the regional cuisine, and eat with the seasons.

When in Rome…

I like to do a little research before dining anywhere. It’s a great idea to take suggestions from guidebooks and trusted travel websites when making a decision as important as where to eat.  In general, Romans eat hearty meals. The pizzas, tomato sauce, and Alfredo sauce we eat at home are not typically Roman. Below I’ve listed some of my favorite dishes from Rome. Find places that offer these specialties, in Italian, on their menus and you’ll know you’re getting the real Roman meal deal.

 

Antipasti

Fried artichokes – carciofi alla guidia- only in season February to May.  Even if you don’t like artichokes, try these lightly fried delicacies.
Fried zucchini – zucchini fritti – zucchini sliced length-wise and lightly fried.
Zucchini Flowers- fiori di zucca – Squash blossoms filled with mozzarella and anchovies and lightly fried.
Fried rice balls – supplì – oval-shaped rice balls filled with tomato, ragù, or mozzarella.

Primi Piatti (First plates)

Spaghetti alla carbonara – a sauce of eggs, pancetta or cured pork cheeks, cheese and black pepper.
Cacio e pepe – spaghetti-type pasta served with a simple sauce of pecorino romano cheese and black pepper.  This is swirled with a bit of the pasta water until melted and then the pasta is added at the last moments of cooking.
Bucatini all’amatriciana – Thin pasta tubes, slightly larger than spaghetti pasta, in a sauce of tomatoes, pancetta and onions.  Usually served with pecorino cheese sprinkled on top.
Ravioli con burro e salvia – Cheese-stuffed ravioli smothered with a rich butter and sage sauce.
Gnocchi alla romana – small, rolled dumplings made from semolina and baked with butter and sage.

If you’d like to sample these delicious meals firsthand, join us on an upcoming tour to Italy!

A Cautionary Tale

It is easy to get a bad meal in Rome.  Simply go to any place that has English menus out front and a “hawker” beckoning you into the “best restaurant on the street.”  These places are often located in the heart of major tourist areas such as the Pantheon, Vatican City, and the Colosseum.

Recently, I was walking down via Cavour, near the Colosseum and decided to stop at a nice enough looking place with a menu out front offering pasta or pizza and a drink for €10.  I had walked by this café many times and often thought it would make a good lunch stop for my groups when visiting the Colosseum.  So, I decided to give it a shot.  I was persuaded to come in and have a seat by a nice young man who spoke perfect English.  He said they could prepare anything I wanted, so I ordered pasta with tomato sauce, a Diet Coke, and a bottle of water.

After 15 minutes, my spaghetti al pomodoro arrived looking as if the sauce had just come fresh from a can.  This was surrounded by a ring of iceberg lettuce drizzled with a little balsamic glaze.  I was disappointed in the appearance and more disappointed that it tasted like canned Chef Boyardee.  I dabbled with it and ate a few bites, drank my water and Diet Coke, and went to the counter to pay my bill.  The lady at the cash register took the ticket from my waiter and said it would be €28.17.  I thought I heard wrong, and exclaimed, “€28”, to which she replied, “and $.17.”  I said nothing, paid my bill and walked out knowing I’d been “taken” for a bumbling American tourist.

All was not lost, because now I can share that experience with you so you will be an educated and informed traveler the next time you look for a quick lunch in Rome.

 

 

Your Adventure Starts Here!

David