What to eat in Lazio
Okay you’re going to Italy so you can be certain you’ll experience some great cuisine. Visiting Lazio however will bring a whole new dimension to Italian culinary art and yes, in Lazio art is the operative word! Here’s what to eat in Lazio…
Primo
With its intense flavours yet simple ingredients, discovering food in Lazio is like discovering seventh heaven! When visiting a restaurant in Lazio you’ll find many of the ‘first dishes’ are traditional Italian starters. These primos are slightly heavier than starters in the likes of the UK and include dishes such as spaghetti all’Amatriciana, lasagne and gnocchi. What you’ll also find is these Italian ‘staples’ are enhanced significantly by pecorino cheese, bacon and rigatoni alla pajata, to mention just a few.
Secondo
The main courses in Lazio are typically made up of different meats and types of fish. Typical main dishes in this region of Italy are Trastevere tripe, spring lamb with vegetables, oxtail stew (Vaccinara style) and saltiimmbocca alla romana. All of these traditional Lazio dishes are bursting with intense and rich flavours and are made with only the finest, locally-sourced ingredients.
Roman artichokes are another popular delicacy in Lazio. It is also common for dishes to comprise of black olives of Gaeta, the chestnuts of Cimini and to be prepared in the intense olive of Sabina.
Dolce
Dessert in Lazio (dolce) typically include traditional Italian sweets, such as panna cotta, tiramisu, pandoro and zuppa inglese. Desserts are usually served with ice-cream or sorbetto.
And what about the wine?
Lazio’s rolling hills, fertile volcanic soil and ample, year-round sunshine makes the region naturally suited to the production of white wines. The Malvasia and Trebbiano grapes flourish in this area, producing a mouth-watering, crisp white wine. The delicious wines of the Casetlli Romani and the Albini Hills provide a light and refreshing accompaniment to the rich and heady flavours of the traditional Lazio dishes.
One popular wine in this region of Italy is known as Montefiascone Est! Est! Est!. The wine is named after an ancient story about an abbot who gave a servant the job of marking all the inns in the region with the best wines, with the word ‘Est’. At the inns of Montefiascone the servant was so impressed with the wine he wrote three Est, Est, Ests on the wall of the inn – Somehow wine can taste even better when you know the history, so Montefiascone Est! Est! Est! is definitely one to look out for when you are in Lazio.