Local Dishes

1. carbonara

   Carbonara — pasta with guanciale, egg and pecorino

   Usage

   A Roman (Lazio) dish of guanciale, egg, pecorino and black pepper — the traditional recipe uses no cream. Menus list it as "spaghetti alla carbonara" or "rigatoni alla carbonara"

   Grammar Note

   Feminine (la carbonara). "Alla carbonara" means "charcoal-burner style"; "alla + feminine adjective" is the standard pattern for Italian dish names

2. cacio e pepe

   Cacio e pepe — pasta with pecorino and black pepper

   Usage

   A Roman staple made only from pecorino, pepper and pasta water. No meat, fish or egg — a reliable vegetarian choice

   Grammar Note

   Literally "cheese and pepper". "Cacio" is a central/southern word for pecorino sheep's cheese, distinct from standard "formaggio"

3. amatriciana

   Amatriciana — pasta with guanciale, tomato and pecorino

   Usage

   From Amatrice in Lazio; made with tomato, guanciale and pecorino. "Amatriciana Tradizionale" was registered as an EU Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (STG) in 2020. Usually served with bucatini or spaghetti

   Grammar Note

   Feminine (l'amatriciana), an adjective formed from the town name Amatrice

4. tagliatelle al ragù

   Tagliatelle al ragù — egg pasta with Bolognese meat sauce

   Usage

   The signature dish of Bologna (Emilia-Romagna). The official ragù alla bolognese recipe was filed with Bologna's Chamber of Commerce in 1982. Note: "spaghetti bolognese" is not served locally — in Bologna the sauce goes on egg tagliatelle

   Grammar Note

   "Tagliatelle" is feminine plural (singular: tagliatella). "Ragù" is masculine and invariable in the plural

5. lasagne alla bolognese

   Lasagne alla bolognese — baked layered pasta

   Usage

   From Emilia-Romagna: sheets of egg pasta layered with ragù and béchamel, then baked. In Bologna the sheets are traditionally green with spinach (lasagne verdi)

   Grammar Note

   Italian normally uses the plural "lasagne"; the singular "lasagna" refers to a single sheet of pasta

6. pizza margherita

   Pizza margherita — tomato, mozzarella and basil

   Usage

   The Neapolitan pizza. "Pizza Napoletana" holds EU Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (STG) status (2010), which recognises exactly two versions: margherita and marinara. The art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo became UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017

   Grammar Note

   Feminine (la pizza). In Naples one pizza is one portion and arrives uncut

7. pizza marinara

   Pizza marinara — tomato, garlic and oregano, no cheese

   Usage

   Despite the name it contains no seafood: only tomato, garlic, oregano and olive oil — and no cheese. It is the oldest Neapolitan pizza and a safe option for anyone avoiding dairy

   Grammar Note

   "Marinara" means "sailor style". Seafood pasta is instead labelled "allo scoglio" or "ai frutti di mare"

8. risotto alla milanese

   Risotto alla milanese — saffron risotto

   Usage

   From Milan (Lombardy): rice cooked in broth and coloured yellow with saffron. It is often served as the bed for ossobuco

   Grammar Note

   Masculine (il risotto). "Alla milanese" = "Milan style"; "alla + place adjective" is the standard dish-name pattern

9. ossobuco alla milanese

   Ossobuco alla milanese — braised veal shank

   Usage

   A Milanese dish: bone-in veal shank braised in white wine and broth, finished with gremolata (lemon zest, garlic, parsley). The marrow inside the bone is eaten too

   Grammar Note

   Masculine (l'ossobuco), from "osso" (bone) + "buco" (hole) — "bone with a hole". Plural: ossibuchi

10. cotoletta alla milanese

    Cotoletta alla milanese — breaded bone-in veal cutlet

    Usage

    Milanese: a bone-in veal loin chop, breaded and fried in butter. Side dishes (contorno) are normally ordered separately

    Grammar Note

    Feminine (la cotoletta). The boneless, pounded-thin version is sometimes distinguished as "orecchia d'elefante" (elephant's ear)

11. parmigiana di melanzane

    Parmigiana di melanzane — baked aubergine with tomato and cheese

    Usage

    A southern Italian dish (Campania, Sicily, Calabria): fried aubergine layered with tomato sauce and cheese, then baked. The name's origin is disputed and it is not a dish from Parma

    Grammar Note

    Feminine (la parmigiana). "Melanzane" is feminine plural (singular: melanzana)

12. caponata

    Caponata — Sicilian sweet-and-sour aubergine

    Usage

    A Sicilian dish of fried aubergine, celery and onion in a sweet-sour vinegar-and-sugar dressing. Served at room temperature as an antipasto or a side

    Grammar Note

    Feminine (la caponata). The sweet-sour treatment is called "agrodolce" on Italian menus

13. arancino / arancina

    Arancino / arancina — Sicilian fried rice ball

    Usage

    Sicilian street food: saffron rice stuffed with ragù or mozzarella and deep-fried. Registered on Italy's PAT list of traditional agri-food products as "arancini di riso". Sold hot over the bar counter

    Grammar Note

    Eastern Sicily (Catania, Messina) says the masculine "arancino"; western Sicily (Palermo) says the feminine "arancina". Plurals: arancini / arancine

14. pasta alla Norma

    Pasta alla Norma — with aubergine and salted ricotta

    Usage

    From Catania, Sicily: tomato sauce with fried aubergine, finished with grated salted ricotta. Meat-free

    Grammar Note

    "Norma" is capitalised: the name honours the opera "Norma" by Bellini, a native of Catania

15. pesto alla genovese

    Pesto alla genovese — basil, pine nut and cheese sauce

    Usage

    A sauce from Genoa (Liguria): basil, pine nuts, garlic, pecorino, parmigiano and olive oil, crushed together. Classically served with trofie or trenette

    Grammar Note

    Warning: in Naples "la genovese" means a completely different sauce — beef slow-cooked with masses of onions. Say "pesto" if you want the Ligurian basil sauce

16. spaghetti alle vongole

    Spaghetti alle vongole — spaghetti with clams

    Usage

    A coastal staple, above all in Naples. Menus distinguish "in bianco" (without tomato) from "in rosso" (with tomato). Avoid if you have a shellfish allergy

    Grammar Note

    "Gli spaghetti" is masculine plural — the singular "lo spaghetto" means a single strand — so verbs and adjectives agree in the plural

17. aglio, olio e peperoncino

    Aglio, olio e peperoncino — garlic, oil and chilli pasta

    Usage

    A plain pasta eaten all over Italy. Note: the Japanese name "peperoncino" is a clipping of this phrase — on its own "peperoncino" means the chilli pepper itself. Menus print "spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino"

    Grammar Note

    Three masculine nouns in a row. "Peperoncino" is "peperone" (bell pepper) plus the diminutive -cino (the ending -one drops)

18. bistecca alla fiorentina

    Bistecca alla fiorentina — thick Tuscan T-bone steak

    Usage

    A Tuscan dish: a T-bone several centimetres thick, typically 1–1.5 kg, so it is shared between two or more people. Traditionally served rare (al sangue), often from Chianina cattle

    Grammar Note

    Feminine (la bistecca). Doneness: al sangue (rare), media (medium), ben cotta (well done)

19. ribollita

    Ribollita — Tuscan bread, bean and kale soup

    Usage

    A Tuscan winter dish of stale bread, cannellini beans and cavolo nero. Thick enough to eat with a fork, and usually meat-free

    Grammar Note

    Feminine (la ribollita), from "ribollire" (to re-boil) — the soup is made by reheating the previous day's pot

20. vitello tonnato

    Vitello tonnato — cold veal in tuna sauce

    Usage

    A Piedmontese antipasto: thin slices of cold veal under a sauce of tuna, anchovy and capers. It is a meat dish that also contains fish — avoid with a fish allergy

    Grammar Note

    Masculine noun (il vitello) plus the adjective "tonnato" (from "tonno", tuna), agreeing in the masculine singular

21. bagna càuda

    Bagna càuda — warm garlic and anchovy dip

    Usage

    A Piedmontese winter dish: garlic and anchovies cooked in olive oil, kept warm at the table for dipping raw vegetables. It is shared by a group, so it is rarely served as a single portion

    Grammar Note

    A Piedmontese-dialect name corresponding to standard Italian "salsa calda" (hot sauce). Many menus write it without the accent, as "bagna cauda"

22. porchetta

    Porchetta — herb-stuffed roast pork

    Usage

    A central-Italian speciality (Lazio, Umbria): pork stuffed with rosemary and fennel, slow-roasted, then sliced into bread rolls at market stalls. Lazio's "Porchetta di Ariccia" holds IGP protected geographical status

    Grammar Note

    Feminine (la porchetta), from "porco" (pig) plus the diminutive -etta

23. polenta

    Polenta — cooked cornmeal

    Usage

    A staple of northern Italy (Veneto, Lombardy, Trentino, Friuli). Served soft as cooked, or set firm and then grilled. Usually accompanies stews and mushrooms

    Grammar Note

    Feminine (la polenta). It contains no wheat, which makes it a useful option for people avoiding gluten — though shared kitchens are still a risk

24. panino

    Panino — a filled bread roll / sandwich

    Usage

    The bar-counter sandwich. Note: the form "panini" is already plural — order one as "un panino". Toasted ones are "panino caldo"; cold cured-meat ones are "panino freddo"

    Grammar Note

    Masculine (il panino, plural i panini), from "pane" (bread) plus the diminutive -ino

25. tiramisù

    Tiramisù

    Usage

    A dessert claimed by both Veneto (Treviso) and Friuli-Venezia Giulia; it was added to the PAT traditional-products list by Friuli-Venezia Giulia in 2017 and by Veneto in 2024. It contains raw egg and coffee — check before serving it to children or during pregnancy

    Grammar Note

    Masculine (il tiramisù), with a written accent on the final vowel. The name means "pick me up"

26. cannolo siciliano

    Cannolo siciliano — pastry tube filled with ricotta

    Usage

    A Sicilian pastry: a fried tube shell filled with sweetened sheep's-milk ricotta. The best shops fill it to order so the shell stays crisp

    Grammar Note

    Singular "cannolo", plural "cannoli". English and Japanese often use the plural for a single pastry; in Italian one of them is "un cannolo"

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