What is a trip to Italy without food? Sure the country is filled with historical treasures and cities that are jaw droopingly stunning. But Italy’s finest feature is its cuisine. Anywhere you go, there are tons of restaurants to choose from, but for a true experience, you need to sample the street food. Here are 15 options to select.
1. Farinata di Ceci
An oven-baked flatbread made with chickpea flour, water, olive oil, and salt, this dish can be traced back to the Romans. This dish can be eaten plain or with cheese or pesto.
2. Suppí
These breaded, deep-fried rice balls are one of the most popular street foods in Rome. They are often filled with mozzarella, while the rice is simmered in a tomato-based meat sauce before frying.
3. Scaccia
Scaccia is a stuffed flatbread usually filled with sauce and cheese then topped with more sauce and cheese.
4. Panzerotti
Panzerotti is basically a deep-fried calzone. The classic filling is tomatoes and mozzarella, but some also add in pepperoni, spinach, ricotta, pretty much anything you can think of. There are also fruit-filled options.
5. Olive all’Ascolana
Originating in Le Marche, this dish is a breaded olive stuffed with ground meat.
6. Porchetta Romana
The Porchetta Romana is a mouthwatering mix of pork stuffed with garlic, rosemary, and other herbs. It is then slow-cooked on a spit.
7. Cuoppo Napoletano
Often found in Naples, this dish is just an assortment of fried seafood, including shrimp, calamari, and breaded cod, wrapped up in a paper cone.
8. Pizza al Taglio
Translated to pizza by the cut, pizza al taglio is baked in rectangular trays and sold by the slice in the streets of Rome. Obviously, with any pizza the topping selections are endless, except for pineapple, pineapple is not an option.
9. Sgagliozze
This dish is simply fried polenta with salt, but these minimal ingredients create something absolutely delicious.
10. Folpetti
Folpetti is salt boiled octopus often flavored with parsley sauce and lemon juice.
11. Trapizzino
This is a newer street food, it’s only been around since the early 2000s. It is made with cooked pizza dough filled with oxtail or chicken with peppers.
12. Polpette
Polpette is a meatball. That’s it. Simple, but classic Italian.
13. Gelato
You can’t go to Italy and not try some authentic gelato. With dozens of flavors to choose from, including tiramisu and mango, it’s going to be hard to try anything else.
14. Zeppole
Considered a cousin of the donut, zeppole is deep-fried dough balls filled with custard, cream, chocolate, pretty much anything sweet.
15. Crema Fritta
Originating in Veneto, Crema Fritta is deep-fried custard often served in a paper cone. This dish is perfect for snacking on while you wander the local streets.
Sources:
- Street Foods of Italy [TasteAtlas]
- Street Foods [Huffpost]
- Feature Picture [Pixabay]
