8 Italian Dishes You Must Try When In Rome

Italian food is delicious. I think we can all agree on that. Therefore I made a list of all my favorite dishes from the Italian kitchen for those of you who want to try authentic Italian food during your visit in Italy, but don’t really know which dish to choose from the Italian menu. Sometimes you will be sitting in a restaurant, looking at the menu and not knowing what is going to be served to you after you choose one of the Italian dishes you can’t pronounce. Hopefully this list will help you pick something you actually know what is. It will be really difficult to find an Italian restaurant in Rome that doesn’t have at least one of these items.

Bruschetta al Pomodoro

This is one of my absolute favorites. I can eat Bruschetta to every meal during the day. What I find so interesting about this dish is that you never know what it’s going to look like. Every restaurant has their own version, some better than others. But the dish itself is pretty simple and really easy to make yourself at home. It consists of toasted bread, tomatoes, olive oil, basil and most of the time also garlic. So simple, yet so delicious.

Prosciutto e melone

The sweet and salty tastes combined in one dish. The melon is sweet and the paper thin sliced ham so salty. The combination of these two ingredients make a heavenly taste. Most cultures would think it is somewhat weird to combine ham and melon, however the Italians have been doing it for years and years.

Spaghetti a la Carbonara

This is a dish I learned to make myself before I was 10 years old. In the Danish schools we have a class that is all about learning how to navigate a kitchen and cook different meals. Afterwards the children go home and cook for their families which is excellent practice. This dish is so simple and easy to cook, which is why they let a class of 9 to 10 year olds cook it in school. It is spaghetti, cream, eggs and bacon topped with parmesan cheese. However, you can also use other types of pasta for this dish despite of the name.

Fettucine alla Bolognese

This is a dish I wasn’t really into before going to Italy. I never really found it interesting when ordering Italian food in Denmark. However, it quickly became my favorite when I was exploring the different Italian restaurants all over Rome. It’s a classic Italian dish made with fettucine and a bolognese sauce – as the name suggests. This is another simple dish, which most people like.

Lasagna

Lasagna is a classic Italian dish served in most countries. In Denmark, most restaurants use it on the children’s menu as this dish is something most kids love. However, most adults love it too, which makes it a very popular dish in the homes of the danish families all over the country. It consists of layered pasta, Bolognese sauce and béchamel sauce. Some people use ricotta cheese filling instead of the béchamel sauce, which also sounds delicious.

Pizza

Everyone knows pizza, which makes it the obvious choice from a menu you don’t understand. However, Italian restaurants have a completely different combination of toppings than your local pizzaria. And the taste of the pizza is just so much better when made from an Italian kitchen in Rome.

Tiramisu

Let’s be honest, this dessert is not for everone. Tiramisu is one for the coffee loving adults. It is made with coffee and liquor, hence the adult part. It comes in all shapes and sizes, usually in layers made with ladyfingers. It is also a traditional Italian classic, which you can find on most Italian menus.

Créme Caramel

This is probably my favorite dessert I had in Rome – despite the fact that it’s not actually Italian. It’s Spanish and French – I’m not sure which of the countries claim this dessert. However, it is amazing and delicious and I got it at an Italian restaurant – that must count for something, right? It made the list for that reason. This is a custard dessert with caramel all over it – similar to Créme Brûlée, which is a custard dessert with a hard layer of caramel. If you get a chance to try this dessert, you should do it!