The tastiest dishes in Italy (and where to eat them!)
That country may be bursting with cultural history and art, you can shop fantastically there and the scenery is beautiful, sure. But you mainly go to Italy for the food, right? A refresher for the big holiday: a list of dishes you’ll want to eat, and the best places to do so.
As a travel guide writer, editor Thomas Benardi has immersed himself thoroughly in Italian cuisine. Hard work, sure, but Thomas is happy to make the sacrifice. He also gently reminds us that Italy’s culinary traditions and recipes are ancient, so show a little respect, please. Every region is different, and every area has its own customs. If you really want to dine well, you should eat as locally as possible.
Carne cruda
Possibly the tastiest antipasto in all of Italy, this cold starter is made with lean meat from a special Piedmontese cattle breed. It is coarsely ground and served with extra-virgin olive oil and a little lemon. Think steak tartare, but even better. Black or white truffle can be grated over it for an extra touch of decadence. Where should you eat it? Thomas recommends Da Cianci Piola Caffè in central Turin.
Pasta carbonara
On to Rome for the second course: a delicious plate of pasta, such as pasta carbonara. Not with those bacon bits from the supermarket and a student-style egg-and-cream mixture, because for that crime against Italian cuisine they’ll break your kneecaps here. The bacon should be cheek lard, guanciale, and the sauce gets some pecorino and plenty of black pepper. Join the queue at Trattoria da Teo in Trastevere, the neighborhood with the loveliest little restaurants in Rome.
Bistecca alla fiorentina
Vegetarians and vegans may go do something for themselves now, because the next course is a thick slab of bloody meat. And not just any meat: a gigantic T-bone. It tastes so good because they have special white Chianina cattle here, and the meat is fabulous. A steak several centimeters thick is cooked on the grill, seasoned with salt and pepper, and that’s it. If you’re sensible, you’ll share it between two people. Add some good red wine, tie a bow around it, and don’t change a thing. Look for l’Amante della Bistecca in Florence; they serve the very best.
Pizza, naturally
If you’re in Italy, you eat pizza. And if you want pizza, you go to Naples. Because: obviously. According to Thomas, the best pizzeria is Starita. No fancy toppings, just tomato, cheese and some fresh basil, then dig in. Anyone brave enough to ask for pineapple on it gets a beer from me.
And now: cannoli
If you really eat all of this one course after another, you won’t be able to say boo by dessert time. But if you’re up for it, and happen to be in Sicily, it’s criminal not to order cannoli. Fried pastry tubes filled with a creamy, sweet ricotta filling, optionally with a little lemon or orange zest and nuts. A meal in itself, with enough calories for a walk to Rome, but every bite worth it. Add an espresso and you’ll know exactly why you booked this holiday. Art and culture can wait until tomorrow; first, take a moment to recover from this feat of strength.
Want a little taste test before you leave? Then head to Salvo, the tastiest Italian bakery in the Netherlands.
Also read:
- These six film classics are actually all about pasta
- 5 tips for the ultimate scroppino (or sgroppino, as they call it in Italy)
- Italian dishes you’ll never, ever get in Italy
Source: Lonely Planet
