Food is a huge part of the Italian experience. While on a walking tour in Rome, I tried different popular Italian foods. Here is a listing of some of them.
1. Cheese
The cheeses from Italy are some of the best cheeses in the world. Their cheeses are so great because they are DOP products for their quality and traditional recipes. DOP stands for “Denominazione di Origine Protetta” or protected designation of origin. When looking for good quality cheese in Italy, always look for the “DOP” seal that guarantees that what you are getting is the real deal. The most popular kinds of cheese are: buffalo mozzarella, known for it savory taste, and Pecorino cheese, which is considered to have the highest quality in Italy.
2. Pizza 
Rome is known as the pizza capital of Italy although Naples used to be the most popular place for pizza. A few years ago, Giancarlo Casa opened La Gatta Mangiona then Gabriele Bonci opened a restaurant called Pizzarium. During the walking tour, we went to Bonci’s Pizzarium and tried different types of pizza. Everyone’s reaction to the pizza was the same. It was the best pizza they’d ever had. Bonci was even mentioned in the New York Times for his pizza. I will never look at pizza in America in the same way again; it simply does not compare to what is “pizza” in Italy.
3. Salame
In English, it’s Salami but the popular Italian sausage is an Italian tradition. It is not one specific sausage; it’s a term used to describe any encased meat product. Salame has a history that dates back to ancient Roman times. Each type is different from the other; however they all start with pork and go through the same process. The consistency and the spice determine each type. Some popular spices include salt, pepper, garlic, wine, mace, fennel and cinnamon. Like the cheeses, Italian salames have DOP recognition ensuring that they were made traditionally in the local region.
4. Pasta
Pasta has a very high ranking in Roman cuisine. There is even a museum dedicated to pasta. The key ingredients for Roman pasta are: Pecorino Romano cheese and Guanciale, an Italian pork bacon that is prepared by rubbing meat from a pig’s cheek with salt and curing it for one month. The most popular recipes are Carbonara and Amatriciana. The Carbonara consists of Pecorino Romano, raw egg yolks and black pepper while the Amatriciana does not have the egg yolk and adds tomato. There are many different pasta dishes but these two are the most popular.
5. Gelato
Gelato is the Italian word for ice cream, however there is a difference in the two. Gelato is softer and smoother than ice cream. It contains more milk than cream while ice cream is heavy on cream. Gelato is not hard to find in Rome; it’s available everywhere in the squares and in the shops. Quality varies and you have to know what to look for in order to buy the real deal. Real Gelato will not have bright colors; it has a soft, muted color and is made from natural ingredients. Also, if it is arranged in big mounds, then it is not real; has been made in a factory and is pumped full of chemicals, preservatives and artificial coloring.
