Are you hungry in Rome? That’s great! The city offers a wide array of typical local dishes for all tastes. Here is a short list of some of the absolutely unmissable Roman dishes:
Spaghetti alla carbonara – the ultimate Roman dish. It is present in literally all menus of the capital and adored by both tourists and Italians alike. The dish is quite simple: spaghetti, guanciale (pork), egg yolks, Pecorino, and ground pepper. The carbonara is actually a quite young recipe; according to cooking historians, the dish was created around 1944 as a hommage to American soldiers fighting the Nazi-Fascist regime in Italy, so the Italians added the typical ingredients of an American breakfast (bacon and eggs) to their pasta!
Bucatini all’amatriciana – similar to spaghetti, bucatini are however hollow so to better pick up the tomato sauce, Pecorino Romano cheese, and cruchy pork pieces.
Saltimbocca alla romana – the literal translation of the dish would be “jump in the mouth Roman-style”. This is a meat classic: slices of veal cooked in butter and topped with a slice of parma ham and sage.
Puntarelle alla romana – this is a standard Roman side dish. The puntarelle are shoots from the chicory family, which are then cut very thin and served raw with a dressing of oil, garlic and anchovies.
Tonnarelli cacio e pepe – the tonnarelli are a kind of egg-based pasta, resembling a thicker and squarer version of the spaghetti. The sauce is cheese-based (the cacio cheese) with a hint of pepper.
Supplì – the ultimate Roman street food dish. Supplìs are fried meatballs stuffed with rice and ragout, with a heart of melted mozzarella. There are also many variations which feature a carbonara or amatriciana filling.
Being hungry in Rome is not so bad after all, is it?
