10 Must Try Foods in Rome

No vacation is complete without a mouthwatering meal. Lucky for you Rome has a number of delicacies to offer. The list doesn’t only include pizzas and plates of pasta. So challenge your taste buds and do it as the Romans do.

Here are the top traditional dishes of Rome that locals swear by. Your Rome tour won’t be complete if you miss out on a bite from each of them. Cause the Roman/Italian cuisine has it all from pasta to pastries and finally porchetta.

1. Suppli

First, let’s start with the fastest and the most filling snack of the entire Roman cuisine. The cute little served hot suppli. A snack that can make you burp in satisfaction. Where to get one? It’s a takeaway snack. You can find it in almost every corner of Rome.

The ingredients? It’s just a ball of creamy rice mixed with a meat and tomato sauce served piping hot. You can even find some melted mozzarella in there. Which adds to its gooey texture. Perfect go-to snack with a chilled beverage.

2. Pasta carbonara

To Roman, the carbonara isn’t just something to eat they have taken it quite seriously. It’s like a challenge they have taken to how to take simple ingredients and turn them into a masterpiece. And how they make it so creamy without using a drop of cream is something I’ll never know.

It’s the classic Roman sauce of carbonara which will leave you wanting more. Want to try the best of the best carbonara? Then I can suggest rigatoni carbonara won’t disappoint you even if you are a picky eater.

The ingredients are simple,

• Raw eggs
• Pecorino Romano and
• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese,
• Guanciale (special pork)

You can replace the Guanciale with Pancetta (pork belly) as well. But the people’s choice is adding Guanciale.

3. Pizza Romana

It is simply delicious pizza made with tomato, anchovy, mozzarella, and oil. Keeping the classic simple ingredient style of Roman cuisine. The difference between classic pizza and Romana pizza is the size, thickness, and taste. Typically a Romana pizza is 10″ to 12”.

The shape is not so perfectly round. Being cooked in a wooden oven the pizza gets a unique smokey flavor.

4. Gelato

Maybe the softest form of ice cream that you will ever have. It is also served at a higher temperature than the average ice cream. All this makes Roman gelato similar yet so different from average ice cream.

You can find thousands of gelateria who serve the classic flavors of this unique whimsical. Want to know the trick of getting authentic gelato? Well in that case if the color of the gelato is bright, then that gelato ain’t right.

So go for more natural food color-type gelatos. Because authentic gelato is supposed to have all-natural ingredients. You can enjoy authentic gelatos in,

• Otaleg
• Fatamorgana
• Fior di Luna

5. Cacio e Pepe

It’s a simple pasta dish which can leave you wondering what I just had? Hence it has been featured in tons of food reviews over the years. A must-try while visiting Rome.

A classic stroke of Roman cuisine Cacio e Pepe is also made out of simple ingredients. The real magic is the making process which makes it lip-smacking. Alongside pasta, this dish only uses Cacio cheese. A sheep’s milk cheese from the countryside of Rome. It is cooked in some pasta water and seasoned with black paper. That’s it.

You can even try making a DIY version of it at home. But trust me it’s going to be far away from the taste of Rome.

6. Allesso di Bollito

Beef and meaty dishes have always been popular in Rome. The traditional chefs preferred to simmer and slow cook the meat to make the texture more tender. The process has changed with time but the love for meat hasn’t.

Among these allesso di bollito has gained its name and fame over the years. It’s basically a roll filled with meat and spinach. Though the ingredients might vary from place to place. The savory juices of tender meat wrapped like a sandwich can satisfy both your heart and hunger.

That’s why it is a classic must-try of roman cuisine.

7. Artichokes

Everything that has history becomes famous in Rome. As the cooking technique has a huge argue of being the best if prepared in a Jewish style. Like it or not it is the most searched food by the tourist. All thanks to the hype of Instagram feeds.

The Jewish recipe of Artichokes is locally called carciofi alla giudia.

Due to the immense demand among locals and tourists, you can easily find this dish in markets any time of the year.

8. Maritozzi

If a man proposes to you with Maritozzi then you have to marry him. And why not! It is the creamiest and fluffiest morning pastry in the entire Rome. One bite and cream are gonna be all over your face. Trust me you won’t even regret it.

Myths aside it is the go-to breakfast pastry of Rome. Though its popularity is getting a bit washed away by cornetto. Still, it’s popular for its sweet, fluffy buns sliced open and filled with less sweetened whipped cream.

You can enjoy it with a warm cup of coffee on the morning tour of Rome.

9. Pizza Al Taglio

No one can compete with the variety of pizzas that Rome/ Italy has to offer. The locals just grab a slice of pizza also called Pizza Al Taglio. It is the most roman style authentic pizza that you can ever have.

Its dough is cooked in a sheet pan to give a unique texture. For the slice proportion, you can have the exact amount of pizza as needed. So no wastage. Somewhere it’s served folded or on a tray. But the approach is always casual.

Like having a fabulous pizza on the go is nothing. duh.

10. Porchetta

Again another feast for the meat lover. Porchetta is a roasted boneless pig. Its usually seasoned with salt, pepper, and herbs. you can find it at takeaway joints as a sandwich filling.

What its taste like? Well, I can describe it as very tender and juicy. It is infused with herbs like rosemary, garlic, fennel, salt, and pepper. You might taste fennel predominantly. It’s slightly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

Menu analysis

A typical roman restaurant menu can be divided into 4 categories

Antipasti (appetizers)

Here you can get,

Suppli: Mentioned in my list as well suppli can be the perfect Roman starter. It can also be written as “risotto ball”. It has tomato sauce, mozzarella, and a little bit of ground meat in it.

Carciofi Alla Giudía: Unlike the Jewish version mentioned earlier you can also enjoy the Judaeo version of fried artichoke.

Primi piatti (first course)

For the first main course, you can try,

The CACIO E PEPE: seasoned with cheese and pepper. Perfect if you want to start with something light and creamy.

The CARBONARA: another pasta option. You can also call it the evolution of the Gricia with eggs.

Secondi piatti (second course)

Now let’s get into the meat-based option to really satisfy the hunger, Roman cuisine has got,

LA TRIPPA ALLA ROMANA: With the tripe extracted from the belly and some of the digestive system. The recipe demands to be cooked delicately to enhance the aromatic ingredients. You can surely give it a try.

IL POLLO ALLA CACCIATORA: Looking for a chicken option? Well, this is a chicken dish made with hunter sauce.

Dolci (dessert)

Let’s finish on a sweet note.

LA CROSTATA ALLE VISCIOLE: you should definitely try gelato. And I know you are going to try it anyway. So here I can mention another must-try dessert which is a bit sour. Basically, it’s a cherry tart. Perfect for those who like to have minimalistic sweetness on the plate.

Conclusion

So these are the top foods in Rome that I found delicious and want everyone to try. Fill your Rome visit with laughter, joy, and obviously food Ciao.