People all over the world enjoy Italian food due to its filling variations and robust flavors. Due to its Mediterranean climate, Italy has a wide range of flavors and ingredients, focusing on consuming new seasonal products. Many Italian cuisines have their origins in culinary and agricultural traditions dating back thousands of years due to Italy’s rich historical heritage.
A plethora of traditional Italian delicacies and dishes, both sweet and savory, await your exploration during your visits to Italy. Traditional Italian cuisine is firmly rooted in Italian history, and recipes are often passed down from generation to generation and are fondly remembered for their authenticity.
Make sure you have room in your stomach for these nine must-try Italian dishes:
9 Must Have Italian Food You Must Try
- Pizza and pasta
Not to be missed eating pasta and pizza, two iconic popular Italian meals in one break.
Pasta varieties differ a lot depending on where you go in Italy. If you are visiting Rome, try pasta alla carbonara. Margherita pizza is the first type that comes to mind when we think of pizzas. Margherita pizza, which originated in Naples, is a simple but tasty dish.
Pizza and pasta are very popular Italian foods and are loved all over the world.
- Lasagna
This much-loved and yet another traditional Italian recipe, said to have originated in Naples, is made with lasagna pasta baking sheets topped with cheese, ground beef, onions, and various ragout, béchamel, or tomato paste sauces. This cuisine should not be overlooked if you want to experience the taste of authentic Italian cuisine.
- Bottarga
Smoked eggs of the oceanic rat. What are you talking about? Don’t be put off by this rough definition of an Italian food product because bottarga is also known as “Sicilian caviar.”
Southern Italians collect the roe from the gray mullet in August and September, salt it, compress it and then air dry it for six months. The result is a strong chunk of amber and blood orange eggs that, when sliced and eaten or grated over spaghetti, bloom into a gloriously flavorful, smoky, lemony bouquet.
- Ribollita
Since we are on the topic of Tuscany, it would be reckless if we did not discuss this delicious soup that has become so famous that Campbells makes a (mediocre) edit. With origins in the peasant cuisine of the region, this vegetable broth is thickened with bread rather than meat, as bread was affordable and easier to come by for centuries in the desperately poor countryside.
In Tuscany, the recipe is considered a rare treat in the fall, when the flavor of harvested vegetables is at its peak and the soup explodes with extreme flavor amid the lack of meat. This delicious stew, often served as a first choice instead of pasta in Florence’s trattorie, demonstrates the tremendous and often untapped power of fresh ingredients.
- Polenta
With pasta with most of Italy, the truth is that this polenta vegetable broth was the main starch consumed in the northern regions of the boot until very recently. This corn porridge, which is practically similar to the semolina consumed in the southern United States, was initially invented from any available starch, including acorns and buckwheat. However, after corn was imported to Europe during the Middle Ages, it soon became the main ingredient in polenta.
Although it lacks the variety of textures and patterns that pasta has, polenta is the ideal companion for a wide variety of meats, especially stews. It is without a doubt one of the softest foods you can eat when it is cold.
- Arancini
Arancini is a stuffed rice ball cooker that is crisp and golden brown in color. The rice balls are cooked after sprinkling them with delicious breadcrumbs.
These rice balls are typically loaded with ragout, tomato paste, mozzarella cheese, and peas. Arancini, like pasta and pizza in Italy, come in a variety of ethnic variants. Depending on where the dish is cooked, regional specialties are made with a variety of fillings and styles.
- Saltimboca
Small slices of veal are covered in this dish with salty cheese and herb leaves. These additives are sautéed in a skillet with a toothpick before cooking the meat. Different forms of beef, such as chicken and lamb, are often used to produce saltimbocca.
A well-prepared plate of saltimbocca is intended to be a delicious dish that melts in your mouth. This tasty delicacy is a must for locals and visitors in Italy.
- Torrone
Torrone is a soft, sticky sweet made from sugar, egg whites, baked almonds, and citrus zest. The dense slabs of this treatment can be sold in famous cafes and sweet shops in Italy.
We suggest trying the original edition first because it is hard to beat. Many of those who enjoy decadent sweets will be interested in a new variety.
- Tiramisu
Tiramisu is a popular dessert loved by locals and visitors alike. This tasty delicacy requires additives such as biscuits, coffee, milk, sugar, chocolate, and cheese.
Dessert chefs have put their own spin on the classic tiramisu formula, creating fruit tiramisu, caramel tiramisu, and the fascinating ch’tiramisu.
