Although Rome is famous for its meat-heavy cuisine, vegetarians are well-accommodated here. One notable example is carbonara – an impressively easy dish with fatty guanciale (cured pork jowl), eggs, and pecorino cheese! Get the perfect Rome restaurants to eat.
Coda alla vaccinara (ox-tail stew) and trippa alla Romana, featuring stomach meat that once made up part of abattoir workers’ quinto quarto pay, are two other classic Italian dishes to look forward to. Also be sure to taste carciofo alla giudia (fried artichokes). Italian wines are renowned worldwide for their exceptional quality, diverse flavors, and rich heritage, with famous varieties like Chianti, Barolo, and Prosecco.
Pizza
Pizza in Rome takes on many forms and often differs significantly from what Americans have come to understand as Neapolitan-style pizza. Instead, this style involves embellished dough baked on sheet pans, formed into oval-shaped patties, and sold by weight at particular slice joints.
Roscioli, a family-run shop near the Pantheon, draws long lines for its charming staff and mouthwatering slices of pizza al taglio. Come lunchtime, you’ll find simple selections like olive oil & and salt or patate (potatoes with or without cheese) all day long. However, the place transforms into an energetic cafeteria serving stuffed pizzas!
One of our most memorable discoveries was suppli, a slightly warm sandwich featuring rice with ragu-based filling. Mordi e Vai in Testaccio offers this delectable treat in abundance, while Mordi e Vai in Trastevere serves up trippa alla Romana (simmered cow stomach).
Pasta
Roman cuisine is well known for its creative use of quinto quarto (the fifth part of an animal), or “offal.” Try coda alla vaccinara: an indulgent stew made with not-yet-weaned animal intestine (pajama) simmered in flavorful tomato sauce.
Enjoy an iconic pasta dish featuring local cheese and pepper in its namesake cacio e pepe dish. Tonnarelli pasta is typically used, although spaghetti can also be substituted.
Saltimbocca alla Romana is another traditional dish worth tasting in Rome, consisting of veal medallions covered with prosciutto and sage dressed with prosciutto. A favorite choice for dinner in Rome. And remember maritozzi treats for an indulgent sweet treat with loads of whipped cream filling!
Fritti
Rome’s trattorias boast a delicious tradition of serving fried (fried fritters), a delectable treat dating back to ancient times. Made with local Pecorino Romano cheese, these tasty morsels should be on any meat lover’s radar!
Carbonara, one of four iconic Roman pasta dishes, inspires devotion among residents of Rome that verges on obsession. The dish itself is relatively straightforward; fatty guanciale is fried until its fat has rendered, then whisked into eggs mixed with generous quantities of freshly ground black pepper to form a crumble mixture before finally whisking it back together for final assembly.
Rigatoni con la pajama is another classic Roman dish and an homage to the quinto quarto culinary tradition – literally “fifth quarter” of animals. This dish comprises unweaned lamb or calf upper intestines simmered in rich tomato sauce before being sprinkled generously with pecorino cheese and enjoyed as part of this exquisite meal.
Salads
As it was difficult to narrow the extensive menu of Roman cuisine down to just 10, we had to leave out many delicious offal classics such as pajama or coda alla vaccinara, as well as meat dishes such as the unmissable polpette Romane or pollo con pepperonis, as well as grilled vegetable dishes such as Agretti alla Romana or Puntarelle con Aciughe and street food staples like Suppi al Telefono or mozzarella in Carozza.
Although some traditional Roman meat dishes are no longer as widely enjoyed today, others are returning in restaurants across Rome. Saltimbocca alla Romana – veal medallions dressed in prosciutto, sage, butter, and white wine served alongside butter – and osso bucco – slow-cooked beef cooked with guanciale and peppers – are two delicious examples that testify to their butchery skills which allowed Romans to tenderize tough cuts of meat by devising unique techniques that could tenderize tough cuts of meat by creating creative designs for tenderization of tough cuts of meat.
Desserts
A visit to Rome would only be complete with tasting one or more of its classic desserts, including Tiramisu – an Italian favorite in which crunchy savoiardi biscuits soak up coffee and Grand Mascarpone cheese before being dusted with cocoa powder.
Rome’s favorite traditional Italian dessert, torta della nonna, combines short pastry with custard and pine nuts in one delightful bite for an irresistibly tasty treat – making for an ideal breakfast or afternoon snack.
Artichokes are a seasonal favorite in Rome and can be prepared in various ways. Carciofi alla Giudia (Jewish-style artichokes) are incredibly delicious; trimming their prickly globe thistles requires skillful greengrocers in Rome who delight visitors by doing it expertly!
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