Five Dishes You Shouldn’t Miss in Rome
You shouldn’t be ashamed to admit that you’re going to Rome with food on your mind. Food in Rome is made with excellent ingredients and respect for traditions – so, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, and eat well.
One of the best traditional dishes you can find in Rome is bombolotti alla gricia, a recipe that comes from a small village in the south of Italy. It’s incredibly simple to prepare, but what makes the difference here are the ingredients and Romans are pretty serious about that. An authentic pasta alla gricia is made with pecorino romano, a tangy grating cheese made from sheep’s milk, and guanciale, cured pork jowl (nope, no other cut will do!). Just a sprinkle of pepper and you’re close to heaven!
Spaghetti alla carbonara is probably the most famous and most copied Italian dish abroad, but the results are not always as accurate as the one you can taste in a back-street trattoria. No cream, no mushrooms or onion, the real carbonara is made just with spaghetti, olive oil, guanciale, pecorino and eggs. Try this at home and taste the difference: fill a pan with water and let it boil. Add some salt and then place the spaghetti into the pan, letting it cook for about 7-10 minutes. While waiting, put some oil in a smaller pan, add the cubed guanciale and stir. Turn the heat off and beat the eggs and mix it with pecorino. When the pasta is ready and drained, put it back in the pan and mix it with the eggs and the guanciale. Buonissimo!
Italy is not only about pasta and pizza and Roman cuisine has very original and tasteful main courses that you should definitely try if you have the chance to visit. Trippa alla romana is one of them. Probably not one of the dishes you want to try at home as it is very difficult, it is very genuine and flavourful and there are different recipes all around Italy. In Rome, tripe is cooked slowly with tomato sauce, pecorino cheese, herbs and a soffritto base, until it is very soft and firm.
If you need help with a side dish, choose carciofi alla romana, artichokes cooked like a Roman grandma would. This classic recipe is prepared with the best artichokes that grow in the coastal region of Rome, between Ladispoli and Civitavecchia. After being cleaned and stuffed with lemon, mint, garlic and pepper, the artichokes are put in a deep pan and cooked in water, wine and olive oil until the liquid evaporates: fiddly to make, but so delicious.
Rome is one of the best cities in Italy to explore on a budget. Food in Rome can be found at great value restaurants and affordable supermarkets, as well as more spendy places, clothes are very cheap and Rome also offers a large choice of budget rooms in the centre. In high season, be sure to book in advance — check on agoda.com to find out the costs. Then let out your waistband and get set for a food tour of the city.
Words: Hanna Johnson.
Image: Artichokes at the Market by Tim Sackton