When one thinks of Rome, monuments and historical buildings, shopping streets and artists' workshops immediately come to mind. But the capital also offers a respectable culinary culture, with traditional dishes that will have you licking your lips!
Let's discover together the 11 dishes that a Roman could never give up!
1 - Spaghetti Carbonara
The gastronomy of Rome and Latium in general has a great tradition when it comes to first courses. One of the most loved and exported specialities in Italy and around the world is 'Carbonara'.
Strictly prepared with popular and intensely flavoured ingredients, according to the Romans, Carbonara is one of the most 'abused' dishes, as it is proposed in variants that have nothing to do with tradition. The most commonly used types of pasta are spaghetti or rigatoni, accompanied by eggs, guanciale (lard) and Roman pecorino cheese. Absolutely avoid bacon and any kind of sauté with onion or garlic.
Recommended at: lunch
Average cost: €12.00
Main ingredients: guanciale, pecorino, egg
2 - Bucatini alla Gricia / Amatriciana
Photo by istockphoto - Cineberg. The only ingredients for the seasoning: guanciale from Abruzzo and pecorino cheese from Rome. When in Amatrice they decided to add tomato, the better known pasta all'amatriciana was born.
Recommended for: lunch/dinner
Average cost: €12.00
Main ingredients: guanciale, pepper, pecorino cheese (tomato in Amatriciana)
3 - Roman-style tripe
Photo by Calabrotto. Not an easy dish to digest. Tripe is composed of different parts of the bovine stomach and in the Roman recipe is cooked in sauce with the addition of a few mint leaves.
Recommended at: lunch
Average cost: €18.00
Main ingredients: tripe, tomato sauce, mint
4 - Spaghetti with cheese and pepper
It might sound like the easiest pasta in the world to make, but it's not: getting a good mantecatura using only pecorino cheese and pepper is really an art.
Recommended for: lunch/dinner
Average cost: €10.00
Main ingredients: pecorino cheese and pepper
5 - Abbacchio scottadito
Photo by masolino / Tommaso Passi. Abbacchio is the star of every festivity on the Roman table, regardless of the season in which it is celebrated. The scottadito recipe calls for quick grilling, which makes it crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and etiquette dictates that it should be eaten strictly with the hands!
Recommended for: lunch/dinner
Average cost: €18.00
Main ingredients: Abbacchio
6 - Artichokes alla giudia / alla romana
Artichokes are a particularly popular flowering vegetable in Rome. It is no coincidence that two typical recipes are dedicated to them:'carciofi alla giudia' and 'carciofi alla romana'.
As for the first variant, it is a dish of Jewish tradition based on mammola-type artichokes, which are placed in boiling oil whole and left to fry for a crispy outside and soft inside result.
The 'Roman' variant, on the other hand, is based on the Romanesco variety of artichoke and is stewed and seasoned with a mixture of parsley, mint, garlic, salt and pepper.
Recommended for: lunch/snack
Average cost: €7.00
Main ingredients: artichokes mammola type (alla giudia) or romanesco type (alla romana)
7 - Maritozzo
Photo by Gerjantd. This is a typical Latium sweet made of baked dough, garnished with fresh whipped cream. Boyfriends used to give it as a gift to their betrothed during Lent.
Recommended for: breakfast/snack
Average cost: €3.50
Main ingredients: flour, milk, sugar, eggs, cream
8 - Saltimbocca alla romana
Photo by Gangnam City Limits. Slices of veal well beaten, stuffed with cooked ham and sage and held closed with a toothpick. To be fried strictly in butter!
Recommended for: lunch/dinner
Average cost: €15.00
Main ingredients: veal, ham, butter, sage
9 - Coda alla vaccinara
Photo by shu tu. Veal tail cooked in the sauce slowly so that it is so soft that the meat must come off the bone without the need to use a knife. Definitely the least touristy and most authentic dish in Roman cuisine!
Recommended for: lunch/dinner
Average cost: €18.00
Main ingredients: veal tail, sauce
10 - Porchetta alla Romana
Photo by istockphoto - Arghman. Yet another street food speciality, this time we're talking about porchetta, an explosion of flavour typical not only of Rome but of Central Italy in general. You can eat it on a plate or inside a sandwich (Lariano homemade bread is usually preferred).
The rule is that the porchetta must be roughly cut by hand, the rosemary must never be missing, and above all the fatty parts must not be discarded. One of the most renowned variants is the Porchetta di Ariccia (a speciality from the municipality of the same name in the Province of Rome), which has been awarded Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status.
Recommended for: lunch/dinner
Average cost: €2.50 for a sandwich
Main ingredients: various parts of the pig (loin and shoulder), rosemary, pepper and other flavourings
11 - Grattachecca
A great digestive and a fantastic refresher on muggy summer afternoons: grattachecca is nothing more than a glass of freshly crushed ice flavoured with fruit syrup. It will make you a child again in an instant.
Recommended for: snack
Average cost: €2.00
Main ingredients: crushed ice, fruit syrup
Where to eat in Rome: cheap restaurants, typical places and street food
The Eternal City par excellence, is a continuous teeming of food and wine tradition thanks to its most typical dishes such as the ever-present pasta alla carbonara, spaghetti all'amatriciana and coda alla vaccinara.
The city continues to amaze thanks to typical trattorias and osterias where you can take refuge, but also restaurants where tradition is combined with innovation and revisited recipes.
A visit to its markets and smaller eateries with their relaxing atmosphere and intoxicating aromas is also a must. Let's see where to eat in Rome: the best restaurants, typical places and street food.
1 - Central Market
Description: a unique building of extraordinary flavours and aromas with an incredible offer of typical Roman cuisine, both street food and more refined, from Roman specialities to more national ones. Seating also available
Specialities: pasta, pizza, meat, salads
Average price: from €10.00 per person
Address: via G. Giolitti, 36, Get directions
2 - Trattoria dal Cavalier Gino
Description: trattoria with a few seats set in the old fashioned way with a blackboard displaying the dishes of the day: spaghetti alla carbonara, tonnarelli cacio e pepe, penne all'arrabbiata, trippa alla romana and puntarelle. Reservations are highly recommended.
Speciality: meat Picchiapo' style
Average price: from €30.00 per person
Address: vicolo Rosini 4, Get directions
3 - Il Quinto Quarto
Description: typical osteria near Ponte Milvio, which at lunchtime also becomes a 'cirioleria', i.e., a traditional sandwich shop, in Roman dialect. Specialities from Rome but also originating in the Asameno valley, Ventotene and the Alto Viterbese area
Speciality: pasta alla carbonara
Average price: from €35.00 per person
Address: via della Farnesina, 13, Get directions
4 - Mariolina
Description: cosy and pleasant little restaurant with a relaxing atmosphere. Peculiarities: no table service, pulp plates and polycarbonate glasses. Don't miss the stuffed pasta and other traditional specialities. Also excellent for an aperitif
Speciality: cod and potato ravioli with fresh tomato and basil sauce
Average price: from €20.00 per person
Address: Panisperna street, 222 a, Get directions
5 - L'Osteria di Monteverde
Description: a trattoria with a Roman cuisine with a menu that is indeed Roman, but with creative and revisited flavours. Cosy and informal ambience
Speciality: octopus and puntarelle salad, coda alla vaccinara
Average price: from €25.00 per person
Address: via Pietro Cartoni, 163, Get directions
6 - Antica birreria Peroni
Description: a well known and very popular restaurant that does not accept reservations. The menu includes antipasti with mixed fried food, pasta dishes, main courses with meat, sausage, frankfurters and potatoes, offered in various combinations.
Specialities: German sausages such as 'Knacher', 'Bock', 'Brait' and the mysterious 'Kilometer'.
Average price: from €8.00 per person
Address: via di San Marcello,19
7 - Farinè
Description: located near San Lorenzo. It is a pizzeria-brewery with excellent value for money. The pizza is made with long-rising dough and is offered in various shapes and with original toppings.
Speciality: Pizza with new potatoes, Toma blu cheese from Val Chisone and mixed dried fruit
Average price: from €10.00 per person
Address: via degli Aurunci, 6/8
8 - Fast Food Counter
Description: fast food with natural and healthy options. Next to the delicious sandwiches, rolls and traditional burgers there are also vegan and vegetarian proposals, noodles, fries but also extracts, shakes and much more.
Speciality: Veggie burger with vegetables, lettuce, chickpeas and chia seeds, tomato and sweet and sour pumpkin sauce
Average price: from €12.00 per person
Address: via Ostiense, 40A
9 - Il Secchio e l'Olivaro
Description: The main dish of this rustic and often very crowded restaurant are the bruschette. From those with aubergines alla parmigiana to those with beans and sausage, to those with ciauscolo and stracchino cheese.
Speciality: Bruschette with provola cheese and 'nduja
Average price: set menu from €15.00 per person
Address: Porto Fluviale 3 (street of the)
10 - Dar Parucca
Description: a simple restaurant with dishes with strong flavours but made with organic ingredients from local farms. The restaurant can also be found in the Slow Food guide of the Osterie d'Italia.
Speciality: Pizzotti stuffed with vegetables
Average price: €11.00
Address: via Macerata, 87/89
