Premise: I lived in Rome for several years and I wanted to share with you Steemit Users a little heads up on the to do's (or in this case "To eat") when visiting Rome, or more specifically this first part will concentrate on the food.
I hope you'll find it usefull if you're planning on visiting the city.
1. Try to avoid "Ristoranti per Turisti" (Tourist Restaurants)
That's the most common one and yet it's really easy to find yourself eating a 10$ frozen pizza; you arrived at fiumicino an hour ago and a Taxi drove you to your hotel in the centre of rome, you're hungry and you don't know where to go.
So first rule, don't ask the hotel personnel, or at least not the reception but look on tripadvisor or good italian guide like "Gambero Rosso, l'Espresso or even the famous Micheline guide";
if you feel adventurous tho just go on foot by yourself and avoid every restaurants that has the following characteristics:
- There's a weird guy in the front trying to let you in
- It's in a famous Piazza or near a famous monument
- it has those stereotypical italian red and white tablecloth
- There's a little chalkboard saying "lasagna, pasta, pizza, cappuccino"
- Has icecream and sandwiches in the entrance (the only thing allowed is a cheese cart and in a few exception a bar, but it must serve wine not Jack Daniels)
- Tables are too close to each other, if you can't walk between tables that's probably a tourist restaurant
2. Keep in mind that Italy has a very large and variegated cuisine
That means that there are things that you may know that you may think are common in Rome but in reality they aren't.
- Pizza
This one hurts I know, you're in Italy, in Rome and I'm suggesting you not to eat pizza.
The thing is you can eat it and there are a bounch of exellences in the eternal city but you must know them, it's really hard to find a real good pizza just by walking, and the typical one isn't the classic rounded "Verace" (from Naples) but the squared one called "alla teglia" and the most famous (also expensive but really good) in Rome is undoubtly "Bonci" but there are other really good alternatives, if you still want to give the rounded type a chance here's a list from Dissapore that might give you enough restaurants if you want to eat pizza every single day of your holidays.
- Lasagna
You should avoid lasagna in Rome, there are probably good restaurants that serve it but just go to something else, It's a tipical recipe in other regions of italy.
- Spaghetti with Meatballs
first if you're in Rome and a restaurant does this Pasta, you're in a tourist one, no exception.
Actually you could eat it in Italy, it's a dish originated from Abruzzo's "Pasta alla Teramana" which consists of "Spaghetti alla Chitarra, Tomatoe sauch (cooked with carrots) and really tiny meatball.
That's a really good dish but you're not gonna find it in Rome (at least I didn't find it)
3. Actual Roman Cuisine
Fortunately you're still in a magical place for food.
Roman Cuisine is extremely variegated and even if you won't easily find some of the Dishes I'm gonna list you, you should at least give it a try.
I'll start with the easy one:
- Primi Piatti - dished based on pasta
Rome has three famous pasta recipe you have to eat once in your life.
Pasta alla Carbonara, which is made in the more minimalist recipes by Spaghettoni Guanciale, Eggs, Black Pepper, and Pecorino going to some more sophisticated version adding Other types of Cheese (Pecorino di Fossa, Parmigiano).
The results is straordinary, there are many places where you can eat it, my favorite one is Roscioli.
Pasta alla Amatriciana, which didn't originate in Rome but in Amatrice (beautiful Town right now devasted by earthquakes) stll it's one of Rome's Flagship dishes.
Made of Bucatini, San Marzano Tomatoes, Guanciale and Pecorino from Amatrice and Black Pepper slow cooked with Olive Oil and Wine.
Probably one of the most glorious dishes of italian cuisine, I mean just look at it.
A couple good places where to eat it are "Trattoria da Cesare" or "Domenico dal 1968" but my advise is just to try whatever restaurant you find (if not a tourist place) and just give it a try
Cacio e Pepe, is probably the most difficult to find, really hard to make but really good when you find it.
Made of Spaghetti (Sometimes Bucatini, sometimes Saghetti alla chitarra) and just Pecorino Romano and Pepper cooked to a brilliant sauce.
Honorable mentions:
Rigatoni alla pajata
Vignarola
Gricia
Fettuccine con le rigaglie di pollo (Chickens Offal)
- Secondi Piatti (dishes based on meat or vegetables)
Rome has a variety of dishes influenced by other cultures, in particular jewish cuisine.
You can find a lot of Kosher restaurants in Rome, especially in the Jewish Ghetto and I'll start with probably the most important to eat.
You may read Carciofi alla Giudia, alla Romana and Fried.
They're always good and a must eat, if they have it you order it at least one time during your sojourn.
Trippa alla Romana, is more than the french Tripes with Pecorino.
It's an actual recipe loved by Romans and a Must try, not for everybody but if you like strong flavours then you'll love it.
Coratella; another strong flavour but a splendid one, made of offal with a spicy step it is another typical recipe and also a must eat during they days spent in Rome.
Coda alla vaccinara, as you may have noticed, traditional roman cuisine comes from poverty and so it does reflect on the dishes.
Coda alla Vaccinara, as the other is made from a cut that usually is thrown away, Cows Tail.
It's another beautiful flavour and probably one of the most intriguing.
Honorable mentions:
Insalata di Nervetti
Chicken with Peperoni (the vegetables not the American Salame)
Abbacchio (Sheeps Meat)
So that's the end of the first part of this guide, I started from the most common errors of travelers but I'd like to go more in depth with the next part if you like this