ExploFood · Europe
What to eat in Italy
Five dishes to try in Italy, the most typical first. Two are vegetarian.
Five dishes to try in Italy
Pizza napoletana
Soft, blistered thin-crust pizza baked for 90 seconds in a wood-fired oven.
How to have it: In Naples order a margherita or marinara and eat it with a knife and fork; pizzerias queue at lunch.
Carbonara
Pasta tossed with egg yolk, pecorino, black pepper and crisp guanciale.
How to have it: A Roman trattoria dish with no cream; order it alongside cacio e pepe and amatriciana to compare.
Tagliatelle al ragù
Fresh egg tagliatelle with a slow-cooked meat ragù.
How to have it: In Bologna ragù comes with tagliatelle, never spaghetti; also in lasagne verdi.
Arancini
Fried breaded rice balls filled with ragù, peas and cheese.
How to have it: Sicilian bar food eaten standing at the counter; in Palermo they are called arancine.
Gelato
Dense Italian ice cream, less airy and lower in fat than most ice cream.
How to have it: Choose shops with flat metal tubs and muted colours; pistachio and stracciatella are classics.
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Questions
What food is Italy famous for?
Pizza napoletana (soft, blistered thin-crust pizza baked for 90 seconds in a wood-fired oven) comes first on our list, followed by Carbonara, Tagliatelle al ragù, Arancini and Gelato.
What is the national dish of Italy?
Ask ten people and you get several answers. The dish we put first for Italy is Pizza napoletana: soft, blistered thin-crust pizza baked for 90 seconds in a wood-fired oven. In Naples order a margherita or marinara and eat it with a knife and fork; pizzerias queue at lunch.
Which dishes in Italy are vegetarian?
Two of the five on this page are vegetarian as usually made: Pizza napoletana and Gelato. Recipes vary, so ask about stock, lard or fish sauce.
What street food should I try in Italy?
Arancini (fried breaded rice balls filled with ragù, peas and cheese).
How reliable is this list?
The dishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, where you can also tick off the ones you have tried. Recipes vary by region and by family, so take it as a starting point.
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Tick off every dish you try in Italy
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Get ExploDishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, with links to Wikipedia. Recipes and names vary by region.