What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “Italian food” You likely envision a plate of steaming spaghetti in marinara sauce or a platter of brick-oven pizza. These are tasty, certainly, but they’re just the tip of Italy’s varied culinary iceberg. With an immense number of regions and a remarkably broad range of tasty street food, it’s a tragedy to stick to the popular tourist fare. The next time you are in Italy or even at a real Italian restaurant and wine bar in Dublin, these are 9 delicious but not-so-well-known Italian foods you should try when you spot them on the menu.
1. Osso Buco Alla Milanese
If you’re going to eat just one meat-based Italian dish while in Italy, make it Osso Buco Alla Milanese. Osso Buco Alla Milanese (originating in Milan) consists of veal shanks, slowly cooked in white wine and garlic and served with vegetables and a pungent, garlicky gremolata. The meat is so tender that you can easily finish it with a fork alone – no knife necessary. If that doesn’t get your mouth watering, be sure to scoop out the buttery, rich marrow within the bones – it’s the best.
2. Ribollita
Ribollita is a medieval-style Cucina Povera or “poor man’s food”. The Healthy Italian Food was made by the servants themselves who used to gather the master’s stale bread, beans, and vegetables, and boil them together in water for their supper. Try it to believe it – with the added bread to thicken the soup, ribollita is a rich, full-bodied experience. In spite of its simple origin, Ribollita is boldly regarded as a Tuscan staple and is ideal during winter.
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3. Tortellini Brodo
Here’s another ideal comfort food for cold weather and the holidays. As the name implies, this tasty Italian dish is simply tortellini in broth. This Emelia-Romagna dish consists of tortellini filled with veal and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and topped with a light dusting of grated parmesan. They’re suspended in a plain, homemade chicken or beef broth.
4. Arancini
Do you enjoy mozzarella cheese sticks? Well, Arancini could possibly be your next favorite. They are filled rice balls with ragù (rich tomato and meat sauce), peas, and mozzarella cheese, breaded, and fried. These little balls of heaven are available all around Southern Italy and Sicily. They can also be in different forms, shapes, and stuffings.
5. Bigoli
If you like spaghetti, you may want to try its thicker and coarser sibling. Bigoli noodles, the Veneto region’s signature pasta, are tubular, coarse, dense, and thick. Traditionally, they are made from buckwheat flour and duck eggs. Bigoli is traditionally paired with a traditional sauce of red wine, vegetables, and roasted wild duck, which complements the thick noodles well.
6. Risi Bisi
This Italian meal, named “rice and peas” might not look and taste appealing but it’s incredibly tasty and healthy. Although made from only rice and peas, it’s cooked using stock and spices such as risotto but without stirring it all the time in order to create a soupy texture. It’s great in springtime when peas are at their freshest.
7. Cacciucco
If you’re a seafood lover, make Cacciucco a part of your must-try Italian dishes list. This seafood stew, composed of shellfish, monkfish, squid, or octopus, is spicy and zesty. It’s cooked in a rich tomato and chile-based broth, seasoned with garlic and sage, and served with a piece of crusty bread. Cacciucco is native to Livorno and traditionally made by fishmongers using the day’s unsold catch.
8. Focaccia di Recco
This delicious dish, originating in the Genobese town of Recco, is one of the area’s most delicious but simplest dishes. Focaccia di recco is essentially just a thin sheet of baked focaccia topped with a creamy and melted layer of crescenza cheese in the middle. It is said that when the people were hiding during the Crusades, they created this focaccia using what little they had, such as flour, water, olive oil, and a bit of cheese. Nowadays, it is available in every pizzeria, bakery, and restaurant in town.
9. Pasta Alla Carbonara
You’ve most likely heard of this one, but did you have yours done correctly Authentic Pasta Alla Carbonara does not include white sauce. This Italian meal consists of spaghetti pasta and small bits of pancetta, which are then tossed together in raw egg and grated cheese.
Sounds strange Wait until you taste how the raw egg over the boiling hot pasta blends beautifully with the cheese emitting that lovely, creamy texture.
Author Bio: Carmina Natividad is a lifestyle blogger for L’Enoteca di Napoli, an Italian eatery, with the finest Italian food and wine at the core of Dublin city centre. Besides having pizza for dinner and a glass of wine afterward, this foodie by passion loves exploring undiscovered spots and crafting great stories about food, travel, and lifestyle.
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