Rome's top street food

If Italy is the world heart of street food, its capital, Rome, makes no exception.

Campo de' Fiori, Rome

Street food is available anywhere at any time, vegetarian or not, gourmet or rustic. And it is not a new trend, since the 'porchettaro' (the 'porchetta' sandwich vendor) certainly did not arrive in town yesterday, the suppli recipe was created in 1800 and most of these foods come from the traditional local cuisine.

But the irrepressible explosion of Ape Car dressed up in bistros, gourmet kiosks and people strolling with greasy scraps in their hands, certainly pushes to shout at the phenomenon. And now the capital can rely on a large number of famous addresses, both traditional and more recent, where you can taste typical Roman cuisine in take-away format, to be enjoyed while walking around the city. 

Here is my personal list of the most traditional street food, basically the "seven kings" of Roman street gastronomy! 

Panino with porchetta

Traditionally coming from Ariccia, on the hills surrounding Rome, 'porchetta' is a whole boned pig, salted and filled with its entrails, then flavored with garlic, pepper, rosemary, wild fennel and other aromatic herbs, and finally roasted on a spit. The meat is then sliced and can be eaten both warm of cold. The combination of the juiciness of the pork meat slowly cooked and deliciously seasoned and the crunchiness of the fresh bread is unbeatable!

The sandwich with 'porchetta', whether it is the stuffed 'ciriola' or the two slices of homemade Lariano bread, is one of those things worth living for. In Rome, it is found practically everywhere and, fortunately, it meets the tastes of a transversal audience: from the builder on a lunch break to the white-collar worker who has little time to eat, passing through the youngsters in need for fuel after partying on Saturday night.

Porchetta

Where: Obviously in Ariccia, but also at Er Buchetto near Termini station

Supplì ('al telefono' or on the phone)

The supplì are a must-try if you are visiting Rome, a real street food DOC that is also very popular as an appetizer both in the pizzeria and in the restaurant. They now exist in all kinds, but the classic Roman recipe is prepared with rice cooked directly in the meat sauce. The rice is then made in oval balls, stuffed with mozzarella, then breaded and deep fried. Divided in two, the stringy mozzerella hidden inside will connect the two halves with a sort of wire that resembles that of the telephone (the vintage ones!) which is why they are also called 'supplì on the telephone'.

Suppli

Where: in any Pizzeria al taglio or Rosticceria, but the best in town are at Alari Gastronomia in the area of the flea market Porta Portese. 

Coppiette (couples)

'Coppiette' are delicious strips of dried meat flavored with spicy aromas somehow similar to the American beef jerky. Traditionally they were made with horse meat, now they are mainly made of pork. They are dried for two months together with fennel, pepper, salt and chilli. The result is these long, delicious, crushed sticks to be ravaged voraciously.

Where: Norcineria Cecchini

Fried cod

Another great classic of Roman street food is the fried cod fillet, Roman-style of course: no yeast in the batter but only cod, flour, water, oil. The recipe is linked in particular to Christmas traditions, but nothing prevents us from enjoying it all year round. 

It's a bit like fish and chips, but....Italians do it better! 

Where: in Largo dei Librari, in the little restaurant near Santa Barbara church

White pizza with mortadella (mortazza)

Pizza with mortadella may seem like a 'spin off' of pizza in general, but it deserves a separate chapter because the taste is really different and because the Roman 'pizza bianca' (white pizza) is something different from any pizza or focaccia you may have tasted. 

The ingredients are very simple: white, oily and crunchy pizza cut in half and filled with mortadella. Trust me when I say...the result is so tasty you won't believe it! 

In Rome it is consumed as a late morning snack or for a quick, yet delicious, lunch.

And, for a perfect match, have it with a cold fresh Peroni beer! 

Where:  any good bakery (forno) will work, and if you are around Campo de' Fiori, try the Roscioli one in via dei Chiavari.

Maritozzo with whipped cream

The king of Roman breakfast, to be consumed with a good coffee or cappuccino, maritozzo is a typical sweet of the Lazio and Roman tradition. It's a basically a soft brioche cut in half and served with lots of whipped cream.

Apparently it was created as a token of love from the lover to his future bride as the cream permitted to hide the engagement ring for his proposal. 

Whatever the reason, we, Romans, are all extremely grateful for its delicious existence!!

Maritozzi with cream

Where: many bakeries but especially the Forno Monteforte 

Grattacheccha

'Grattachecca' can be described as a kind of granita; they are both based on ice and fruity aromas but the preparations are distinctly different. In the original 'grattachecca' recipe, the ice is scratched into snow from a large single block thanks to a special scraper and only afterwards the juices, syrups and fresh fruit are added. 

And, believe it or not, you can taste the difference!

On a warm Roman summer evening, there is nothing better than lounging along the Tiber river with a glass of grattachecca in hand and enjoying, if there is, the west wind locally called 'ponentino', that is the typical Roman breeze, the one that in popular tradition is said to rise at sunset to accompany idleness and ... love.

Grattachecca

Where: Sora Mirella in front of the Isola Tiberina

TIPS AND INFO 

1. If you want to know a bit more about the local cuisine and not just about street food, check out our post on what to eat in Rome

2. I have deliberately excluded pizza and ice-cream from this list, because despite them being the most popular and most common Italian street foods, their are not strictly Roman. 

3. If you are looking for a place to stay in Rome, check out this website where you'll find a wide choice of lovely self-catering solutions.