Pollo Con Pepperoni

Chicken | Secondi

Chicken is a dish you will rarely see on the menu in Rome mostly due to the lack of flavor in the meat. Italians like to eat food that tastes good (yes, that was a stab at chicken). Pollo con Pepperoni is the exception. It tastes great, mostly due to the type of meat they use.

There’s no chicken breast here. They go with the more gamey-tasting meat like the wings and legs. They slow cook it with peppers (Pepperoni is not a meat in this case) and what feels like a lot of olive oil. It forms this slightly soupy dish that is really very good.

Where to get Pollo con Pepperoni: Trattoria Da Augusto (Trastevere)

Filetti Di Baccalà

Fish | Fried | Antipasto

Filetti di Baccalà is basically the Italian version of fish and chips. That means it’s less greasy and tastes good (sorry, England). The batter is a little lighter, and the portions are a little smaller.

They also don’t serve this with “chips,” but there’s normally a vegetable accompaniment. Italians eat it as an appetizer with pizza, commonly before or after watching a football match.

Where to get Filetto di Baccalà: Roman Guy food tour

L’Amatriciana

Pasta | Pork Based | Slightly Spicy | Primo

Like any good rivalry, Rome is split between l’amatriciana and la carbonara. Both plates are delicious and it would be impossible to decide which one is actually better. I can’t take sides, but I do tend to make l’amatriciana more often—so, it’s my number one favorite dish in Rome.

As with many of the best Italian dishes, simple ingredients make this Roman favorite. It’s often made at home with la passata, which is a quick tomato sauce base but you couldn’t do that in a restaurant without Italians noticing. In reality, you should use cherry tomatoes (pomodori ciliegini), fresh chilli peppers (peperoncino), pork cheek (gaunciale), and most importantly pecorino cheese (pecorino romano).

For the pasta, you should use a spaghetti or bucatini (spaghetti in the form of a straw). This is yet another rivalry between amatriciana purists—spaghetti or bucatini pasta? Bucatini is arguably the original recipe, which I prefer as well. In Rome, however, they could serve this dish with spaghetti or even maniche corte, which are about half as long as rigatoni and more commonly used in Rome. This is 100% a must-eat dish.

Where to get the best Amatriciana: Trecca – Cucina di Mercato (Ostiense) | Trattoria Vecchia Roma (near Termini) | The Roman Guy Food Tour

La Carbonara




Pasta | Pork Based | Egg | Primo

La Carbonara is arguable the most authentic dish in Rome. There are many legends about the origin and its name, but my favorite is the link to the word “carbona” which roughly means coal. There were miners with very little money who would toss together what were at the time the cheapest ingredients to make pasta: pancetta (now guanciale), eggs, pecorino romana, black pepper, and spaghetti.

Almost every recipe calls for this to be made with spaghetti, but it’s also prepared with bucatini, rigatoni (above), and maniche corte (small rigatoni). It is a wonderfully simple dish to make that I could explain but it would be very hard to make it correctly without the proper training and know-how. Your best bet is to live in Rome for ten years to learn this dish or travel frequently to Rome to eat it.

Where to get the best Carbonara: Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina (near Campo) | Trecca – Cucina di Mercato (Ostiense) | Roman Guy food tour

Carciofi Alla Giudia E Alla Romana

Artichoke | Antipasto | Vegetarian

Carcioffi alla Giudia translates to Jewish artichokes. Artichokes thrive in Rome’s climate, so they’re very popular in the city in two main recipes. Alla Giudia (Jewish style pictured above) and alla Romana (Roman style). Don’t worry, you’re allowed to prefer either one without fear of reprisal. However, the Jewish ones are almost always chosen as the victor.

Jewish artichokes are seasoned with salt and pepper and then fried twice in olive oil. Yes, twice—which is how they get their super crocante (crispy) texture. They’re also fried in olive oil, which is a high-quality oil. Different oils have different boiling points, so they really aren’t Jewish artichokes unless they are fried in olive oil twice.

Roman-style artichokes are a world apart. The only thing they share are the artichokes. The preparation and cooking time is more intensive and the outcome is different. These artichokes are most often served cold after being cooked for up to 30 minutes. They’re seasoned with lemon, mint, garlic, olive oil, and black pepper.

This may sound a bit eccentric, and possibly politically incorrect, but I would stick to religion on this one. If the restaurant is run by Catholics, I would order Roman-style artichokes. If it is Jewish-run, I would order the Jewish-style artichokes without question. Each does their own style best. The best place to get a Jewish-style artichoke is in the Jewish Ghetto.

Where to get the best Jewish Artichoke: Piperno | Sora Margherita | Al Pompiere | Yotvata (kosher)


Gnocchi Con Sugo Di Carne – Only On Thursdays


Potato Pasta | Lunch or Dinner | Meat Sauce | Only Thursdays

One of the most wonderful and beautiful things about Rome, and Italy as a whole, is the tradition. Imagine there were rules for everything you ate and drank but they were wonderful rules that everyone loved and adored—rules based on tradition and culture. That’s how Rome works and gnocchi are no different. They are only served on Thursdays at traditional trattoria in Rome. Why?

Gnocchi are prepared from potato and other heavy ingredients. A big plate of gnocchi with sugo di carne (tomato meat sauce) is more than filling. Thursdays can be an exciting day for this reason. You can probably get a plate of gnocchi at a tavola calda or pizza place that serves daily dishes for €5 or so on a paper plate or in a to-go container. Boy, are they delicious too. Wait, why only on Thursdays?

In Rome, people ate fish on Fridays because meat was prohibited on Fridays as penance on the day of Christ’s death. Not just during lent but all year round. Fish is delicious, but it’s often light and quickly digested. Romans figured they’d eat gnocchi on Thursdays to fill up in preparation for Friday’s lighter meal. Then, they’d eat la Trippa on Saturdays to balance the scales since it’s also a heavier meal. Regardless, if you want to be traditional in a good way, order Gnocchi con Sugo di Carne while in Rome on a Thursday.

Where to get the best Gnocchi: Osteria di Monteverde | Trattoria da Cesare al Casaletto

Supplì


These showed up on the map, at least in writing, around 1847 at a restaurant in Rome named Trattoria della Lepre. The restaurant is no longer active, but I couldn’t imagine this dish was at fault.

You’ll see these on the menu of most authentic pizza places and definitely at any takeaway pizza place where you can get piazza al taglio. You’ll definitely do a lot of walking in Rome, and these little treats will come in handy when it’s 4 pm and you’re starving but restaurants don’t open until 8 pm. Pop in, grab one for €1, and eat it walking.

Basically, it’s rice mixed with a light meat sauce and pecorino cheese with a small ball of mozzarella cheese at the center. It’s fried in an egg and bread-based shell, which is crunchy and delicious. Amazing!

Where to get the best Suppli: Supplizio (Campo) | Pizzarium or Panificio Bonci (both by Gabriele Bonci near Vatican) | Emma Pizzeria con Cucina (near Campo)

Saltimbocca Alla Romana



Veal and Prosciutto | Secondo

This dish was invented sometime in the 19th century. As always, it’s simple with high-quality ingredients—a calf veal filet with a slice of sweet prosciutto crudo attached to it with a tooth pic. It is sautéed in butter with white wine and lightly salted with a bit of salvia to add flavor. There’s little variation in this purist dish in Rome.

Many visitors to Italy will order a pasta dish as their meal, but the right way to do things is to order antipasto (appetizer), primi (pasta), secondo (meat), and so on. Saltimbocca is a light secondo that you can finish on your own or split. Sharing in Italy is perfectly normal and expected.

The name saltimbocca means “jumps in your mouth,” which describes its incredible flavor. The photo above admittedly does not jump off the page, but it is one of those things that you won’t understand until you try. Get it at Salitmbocca Ristorante, which has some of the best reviews in the historical center of Rome.

Where to get the best Veal Saltimbocca: Saltimbocca Ristorante (Piazza Navona)