When in Rome, do as the Romans do: that means, you should be eating a lot of pasta. Only, it won’t be the same dishes you’ll associate with Italian pasta at home (if home’s outside Italy). Don’t look for Spaghetti with Meatballs or Fettucini Alfredo, but instead oder local pasta specialties like Bucatini all’Amatriciana or Pasta Cacio e Pepe.
In the homeland of pasta, these humble noodle dishes are just as regional of a specialty as Italian cheese, meat or wine.
In Italy, the pasta dish’s an almost daily must. Typically part of a multi-course meal (either lunch or dinner, often for both), pasta comes after the antipasto and before the mains (meat or fish). But obviously pasta can also be a meal on its own.
Here’s some quintessential local pasta dishes that are best when eaten in Rome.
- The real Carbonara: a classic pasta dish made with raw egg, pancetta (or bacon), pecorino cheese, and black pepper. If there’s cream or hard-boiled egg involved, it’s not a Roman carbonara.
- Cacio e Pepe: a simple dish made with spaghetti, pecorino cheese, and black pepper.
- Amatriciana: a pasta dish made with tomatoes, guanciale (cured pork cheek), pecorino cheese, and chili flakes.
- Gricia: is a Roman pasta dish that is based on a sauce of guanciale and pecorino romano cheese. It’s similar to the Amatriciana, minus the tomaoes and spice.
- Technically not a pasta, but Gnocchi alla Romana deserve a spot in our list: In Rome, the dumplings are made from semolina flour and cheese, often served with a butter and cheese sauce — not from potatoes like the gnocchi you may know.
P.S. Not quite ready to eat like a Roman. Then order a simple pasta al burro (noddles with butter) and add Parmigiano or Pecorino Romano on top. It’ll be a culinary revelation.
