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Pick up a guide to Lazio and it’s highly likely that you’ll be told that this is not the place to come if you want to savour Italy’s best food.

You may be told that if that’s what you have come to Italy for, then you should head to Tuscany for home made pasta or Naples for pizza. Whilst it is true that these places are great for food, the idea that Lazio is second rate in culinary terms is the talk of food philistines trying precisely to appear not to be.

True, traditional Roman food is basic, making use of paltry amounts of meat and as much flavour as can be squeezed out of a block of Pecorino (sheep’s cheese, which in its Roman variety is very hard and used for grating on to pasta), or very simple appropriations of local sea creatures. However, this does not make for a poor diet, in terms of taste or nutrition, and with a little local knowledge, one can eat like a local in such a way as to dispel any misgivings about the diet in Rome.

True, it is said, that one comes to Rome for the art and architecture, and takes what they can in terms of food; this is true if you are to eat in the overpriced tourist hotspots, where menus are assembled like a kitsch collage of everything that is meant to be Italian. Yet, if you go further afield and venture into the old working class districts, you will find the food so enticing that the architecture will seem like a poor backdrop, sustained only for the tasteless tourists that know no better.

The thing about Romans is that they, like Italians in other regions, are very loyal to their locality and very traditional, by the standards of many other Western cities. For this reason food in Rome is not especially varied, but the few great working class local dishes give enough variety to sustain even the most fastidious eater and quality is strictly maintained.

Italians always divide the menu up into Antipasto (starters), Primi Piatti (first dish, which is always pasta) and Secondi Piatti, which is usually fish or meat, simply cooked. Here we cover only the first and second dishes.

Primi Piatti

First up, we have three variations of a Penne pasta dish; Carbonara, Gricia and Calcio Pepe. The first of these is internationally known and is rumoured (though no one really knows) to derive the name ‘Carbonara’ from the ‘Carbon’, meaning coal, as it used to feed the local Coal Miners, providing a good source of carbohydrate and protein. It contains in its original form just seven ingredients – penne pasta, salt, pancetta (local ham), pecorino, pepper, olive oil and egg – though there are some variations, and garlic is occasionally added, much to some persons dismay: tempering with traditional dishes often meets with derision. The beaten egg provides the creamy texture, stirred into the cooked pasta, and cheese is put on top. Pepper finishes off the dish and gives it a hot flavour.

Now, if that seems simple, consider that Gricia is the same, but minus the egg! Calcio Pepe is the same yet minus the egg and the pancetta, making it one of the few vegetarian Roman pasta dishes. All of these dishes are deceptive I the complexity of their flavours – a foreign visitor to Rome can have their idea of cooking overturned in just one sitting if they eat in a local ‘Osteria’ – a simple, down to earth ‘eating house’. For these three dishes both Quisi e Magna and Trattoria da Roberto er Laziale are affordable and authentic places to eat, situated in the rootsy but increasingly trendy Pigneto area. I prefer the latter just for the atmosphere – it is always full of locals, it is basic to say the least and the staff are suitable eccentric! As close to a true Roman eating experience that a traveller will get.

Those wanting a pasta with a tomato theme try Amatriciana, which contains cherry tomatoes, pancetta and chili, so has a bit of a kick. For this Quisi e Magana is an ideal place to eat, and suitably eccentric if not quite as mad as Trattoria da Roberto er Laziale where I found myself on my last visit helping myself to a table, literally – meaning that I was asked to pick my own table from the back of the venue and carry it, over the heads of other diners to the front where there was space for me and my girlfriend. No frills dining realty means no frills here! If you want a bit more of a fuss made, try L’Idillio, in Via Augusto Dulceri, where the waiters will go to efforts to present the wine and food, and furniture in a restaurant style, whilst the food remains true to Roman tradition.

The other great pasta dish served in Rome that must be tried is made with just clams, olive oil, spaghetti, herbs and white wine and is called Spaghetti con le Vongole. The clams are served on top of the spaghetti unopened, and one must open the shells themselves, making the small amount of sea water that spills out intrinsic to the taste. This one is best eaten by the sea with glugs of ice cold white wine – it doesn’t matter which wine, the house wine will do: think about it this way, no great wine will stand up to the assault of clams and sea water, especially when you are following with a second plate of fried sea food, which brings us to the second plate. The Roman coastline, which is often overlooked by tourists and which can e reached by car or public transport, features several excellent seaside restaurants which, naturally, excel in seafood: try ‘…..

Secondi Piatti

If you started with fish, then a plate of fried and battered sea food is a great way to follow up. Traditionally this dish, not specifically Roman, contains calamari, langoustine, and baby squid and octopus. Other fish seconds include whole baked fish – the particular fish used varies, and you will be hard pressed to find an Italian, or indeed and English person who can translate the fish into English! Again, try the seaside restaurants for the best seafood, although Trattoria da Roberto er Laziale again delivers the goods and is a great option if you are staying in the city.

If you prefer a meat second, which would traditionally follow upon a Carbonara or Gricia starter, try the excellent Beef Steak  alla Cacciatora which is cooked in olive oil with garlic and rosemary and which you have to try in order to properly comprehend, and then you will still be left without the right words to describe it, especially if you are British and like to think that we do steak better then anyone else! You may have to shop around for this, though once you get a feel for the above mentioned food joints, you should be able to spot similar basic eating houses a mile off – avoid places with folded napkins and waiters on the door. The best places are always very humble.

Romans also do great vegetable plates, to have as a side dish or on their own, one of which must be tried – Carciofi alla gricia – artichokes boiled with herbs. No one comes to Italy to learn how to cook or eat vegetables, but here you may find yourself pleasantly surprised if you venture to find a place that serves it.

Summary

Now I’ve told you what and where to eat in Rome, but I have to confess that I’ve been a bit selective, and have included no dishes that include animals entrails. Such dishes do famously exist, and it is well known the Romans have a knack for using every part of a given animal in their cooking for economy’s sake. In the interests of accuracy I have only featured parts of animals, or vegetables, that I have actually eaten, though I am told that Coratella is very good as a second dish, and comprises the liver, lungs, heart and spleen of a young lamb of suckling age cooked with onions, oil and wine. I haven’t tried it yet, but you are welcome, provided you have no issue with it ethically! Vegetarianism is not yet the ‘rigeur’ in Rome.

As for where to eat – I’ve pointed you in the right direction, and I can only hope you heed advice and avoid the posh tourist joints. Pigneto is an ideal place to go as it still has a large number of characterful working class joints, yet is only a few tram stops from Termini train station, so should be accessible for any tourist. If you can, try one of the above mentioned places, if not, follow the guidelines set out and step off the beaten trail – you should not regret it!

Photo of Amatriciana pasta originally posted by MMChicago