If you have never been to Italy and think you have eaten pasta, you are wrong. Just wrong. Pasta has been a favorite dish of mine since childhood but I swear I have never truly experienced eating good pasta until coming to Rome.
In America, we tend to overcook our pasta, leaving it in the water too long and making the noodles too mushy. An Italian would most likely toss that pasta out as if it were burnt toast! Here, each type of pasta needs to be cooked for a certain time period so that the pasta is cooked through but remains a little harder and chewier.
Oh, and if you think all Italians eat the same pasta you are also mistaken. There are many regions and cities in Italy, which each have their own traditional pasta dishes. In my first week abroad, I have already tried four traditional Roman pasta dishes; amatriciana, la gricia con carciofi alla romana, carbonara and cacio e pepe.
Amatriciana
Amatriciana is a pasta sauce that is made with tomato, pork jawl (guanciale) and pecorino Romano cheese. Sometimes, it is made with some black pepper or crushed red pepper to make the sauce a little spicy (as the one above is). The extra ingredients, such as the guanciale and peppers, give it more zest than a classic, plain red sauce.
Where I ate it and loved it: Antica Biblioteca Valle. Largo del Teatro Valle, 9, 00186 Roma.
La Gricia con Carciofi Alla Romana (Artichokes)
In this pasta, the Roman artichokes are paired with la gricia, which is a type of pasta that uses pork jawl (guanciale), pecorino Romano cheese and is tossed in a lighter sauce. This is a good pasta to order if you are looking for a less heavy meal.
Where I ate it and loved it: Antica Biblioteca Valle. Largo del Teatro Valle, 9, 00186 Roma.
Carbonara
The most unique, and perhaps my favorite, of the four pastas. The sauce consists of egg yolk, cheese (usually pecorino), bacon and black pepper. I absolutely loved the creaminess and richness of this dish. However, my roommate, Rachel, thought it was a little too heavy. Carbonara is certainly a meal to eat when you are super hungry (especially because take-home boxes are not really a "thing" here).
Where I ate it and loved it: Osteria Centouno. Via Fabio Massimo 101, 00192 Roma.
Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Pepper)
Simple and delicious. This pasta sauce is made with two main ingredients: cheese and black pepper. It tasted like a mature mac and cheese. Incredibly creamy with a thick cheese sauce that has just a bit of a kick from the pepper. If you are a picky eater, this is the Roman pasta for you.