The most difficult thing about eating in Italy is that you can’t try everything. From regional specialties to the seasonal delicacies, you would need multiple lifetimes to sample all the best Italian food. Before you start to panic, here it is a little bucket list of the Italian foods for you to try on your trip:
- Pizza: Easy, cheap and so tasty! Naples is the birthplace of Pizza. We reccomend that you taste the Pizza Margherita (with tomatoes, olive oil, fresh buffalo milk mozzarella and basil) or the Pizza Marinara (which combines tomatoes, oregano, olive oil and garlic). At a sit-down pizzeria, you will never see a pizza pre-cut into “slices” because of the very soupy toppings. Eat your pizza with your hands and don’t use a knife and a fork.
- Lasagna: You can taste the traditional lasagna with homemade pasta, fresh ragù and cheese (Parmigiano cheese or mozzarella cheese) in Emilia-Romagna.
- Florentine steak: This is a dish to be eaten exclusively in Tuscany- in Florence or in the countryside. The enormous bistecca fiorentina is a Florentine T-bone steak cut thick (no sense asking for a medium or well done steak, the meat is too thick to even think about it!).
- Risotto: Italians aren’t huge risotto eaters, but they are the largest producers of rice in Europe. The most famous type of risotto is the saffron-infused risotto alla milanese. Other classic versions of the dish include risotto al nero di seppia (with cuttlefish and ink) and risi & bisi (with pancetta and beans), just to mention a few.
- Carbonara: The original Italian dish has no cream, no mushrooms, no onions, no chicken; it’s just pasta (spaghetti) with Guanciale (pork’s cheek) or pancetta (Italian bacon), eggs and black pepper.
- Coffee: Strong, black and hot as Hell! It’s always the right moment to drink a real neapolitan coffee made with a Neapolitan flip coffee pot or an Italian espresso machine.
- Gelato: Let’s try fresh artisanal gelato (Americans call it ice-cream) in Milan, Florence or Rome. Before buying it, check out the color (is it natural or neon light?), if the fruit flavors are in season (they should be) and if there is an ingredient list on display.
- Digestivo: The term digestif (digestivo in Italian) does not refer to one drink, but to a class of drinks that they are enjoyed after a big meal with the aim of settling the stomach. Popular digestif include: limoncello, grappa and amaro. We recommendo you to drink a limoncello on the beach of Sorrento or Positano.
- Babà: With its unmistakable mushroom shape, the Neapolitan babà is a leavened oven-baked sweet soaked in an alcoholic liquid (traditionally rum). It is a sweet to eat and enjoy as you walk through town... just three bites and it’s done.
- Burrata: If you like mozzarella, you’ll love burrata! Originating in Puglia, this rich, buttery artisanal cheese of outstanding quality is made from mozzarella and fresh cream. It goes well with salads, and pizza, but it shines the most when spread on a slice of crusty bread.
