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Eight of Rome’s most tantalizing foreign food gems

Delicious and modestly priced though it may be, the traditional Italian fare served up at thousands of Rome's restaurants is not always what you're after.

Eight of Rome's most tantalizing foreign food gems
There are plenty of tacos to be found in Rome. Photo: Sacofat/Flickr

If you're craving ethnic flavours, here are eight of the best foreign eateries in the capital, all of which cost no more than the average Italian restaurant.

Eat Ethiopian – Mesob

Via Prenestina, 118

Located at the edge of Rome's Pigneto district, visitors to this cosy and atmospheric restaurant can smell the spices wafting out of the premises a good five metres before stepping inside.

The restaurant serves highly spiced and aromatic Ethiopian stews with meat and vegetables. The stews are served on top of large platters of injera, a flat fermented bread made from the traditional Ethiopian grain, teff.

It's an authentic experience. No cutlery is provided; instead, each platter is designed to be shared between three or four people, who tear off hunks of bread and use them to tuck into the food.

Make it Mexican – Tacos & Beer

Via del Boschetto, 130

At the heart of Rome's trendy Monti district, the colourful and informal Tacos & Beer is a new addition to Rome's restaurant scene, offering excellent Mexican fare.

The eatery serves up a limited, but traditional, menu of Mexican tacos and burritos and nachos, which are packed with fresh flavours. The dishes all include authentic Mexican ingredients like cactus pads, jalapenos, black-beans and lashings of fresh guacamole.

Eating at Tacos and Beer is a rapid affair –  you will probably be in and out within half an hour – having washed your chow down with a glass of beer or a Margarita.

Chow on Chinese – Hang Zhou

Via Principe Eugenio, 82

A stone's throw from Vittorio Emmanuele metro stop in Rome's Chinatown, Hang Zhou offers some of the best Chinese food the city has to offer.

The menu is typical for a western Chinese restaurant but the quality of the cooking and ingredients used sets Hang Zhou apart from its numerous competitors in the city.

The low-key restaurant is ever popular among locals, so book in advance if you plan on eating at peak times, or you might find yourself queuing up outside while you wait for a table.

Craving Curry – Sitar

Via Cavour, 256/A – Closed Mondays

A short walk from the Colosseum, Sitar offers traditional north Indian dishes which are sure to hit the spot if you're craving a curry.

The restaurant's flavourful and authentic dishes have made it a mainstay among Rome's Indian community.

It is located below street level and the informal atmosphere and friendly staff ensure dining is always a laid-back affair.

After Arabic – Zenobia

Piazza Dante, 23

Zenobia's menu serves up the classics of Syrian and Lebanese cuisine.

If you're after a fix of tabbouleh, stuffed aubergines, falafel or hummus, there's no better place in Rome. But the menu also includes some lesser known dishes with tastes that might just give you a new culinary experience.

Between the excellent nosh, Arabic style decor and steaming shisha pipes that fill the restaurant, its easy to forget that you are dining in the centre of Italy's capital.

Eritrean eats – Africa

Via Gaeta, 26. Closed Mondays.

Smack bang in the city centre,  not far from Termini, Africa is a hidden gem serving up Eritrean and Ethiopian food at very modest prices.

As with the Ethiopian restaurant Mesob, mentioned above, there is no cutlery here. Instead meals are eaten by picking up food with hunks of torn injera bread.

Africa distinguishes itself from Mesob in its slightly wider menu, including more vegetable and fish dishes, which make it a better fit for vegetarians.

Savour South Tyrol and Austria – Cantina Tirolese di Macher Manuela

Via Giovanni Vitelleschi, 23

Okay, so this entry is questionable as South Tyrol lies on Italy's northernmost border.

However, its Austrian-style cuisine is a world away from the saltimbocca and fiori di zucca which characterize Roman cuisine.

The Cantina's menu offers things like fondue, Viennese goulash, schnitzle and South Tyrol's traditional pasta variety – spatzle.

Located between Castel Sant'Angelo and St Peter's Basilica, the restaurant is decorated in typical Alpine style, with waiters and waitresses serving tables dressed in traditional South Tyrolean garb.

More Mexican – La Taqueria

Via Giacomo Boni, 26

La Taqueria, located near Piazza Bologna, serves up freshly made Mexican street food, much like Tacos & Beer, mentioned above.

The menu revolves around tortillas, burritos and nachos and the place is a good shout if you're after vegetarian or a vegan-friendly option. The menu is low on meat and even offers a soy chilli.

La Taqueria also offers desserts like churros and dulce de leche, but be warned, the place is popular and small, so can get very crowded at peak times during the weekend. 

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FOOD AND DRINK

Do Italians really eat pasta every day?

Pasta is the foundation of Italian cuisine and Italians have a reputation for eating it nearly every day. But is this reality or myth?

Do Italians really eat pasta every day?

Pasta is the cornerstone of Italian cuisine and an essential staple of Italians’ diet, hence the popularity of the adage Toglietemi tutto ma non la pasta! (‘Take everything away from me except pasta’).

But there is a widespread belief among foreign nationals that people in the bel paese eat it every single day of the week. 

Is this reality or myth?

According to a survey from research platform YouGov Italia, ‘only’ 17 percent of Italians eat pasta every day or at least six days a week. 

The majority of Italians (37 percent) consume pasta two to three times a week, while 30 percent say they eat it four to five times a week. 

Finally, 8 percent eat pasta just once a week.

While the survey seems to disprove the claim that Italians generally eat pasta every day (only a minority does), does that mean that they are not as big pasta eaters as we may have originally thought?

Not really. 

Italians are still the leading pasta consumers in the world as the average person in the country eats some 23.1 kilograms of it every year (that’s nearly two kilograms a month).

READ ALSO: Ask an Italian: How do you sauce pasta properly?

For context, people in neighbouring France and Germany only consume 8.3 and 7.9 kg per capita a year, whereas the average American eats about 9 kg every year.

Further, yearly per capita consumption in the UK stands at an average of just 3.5 kg, according to a report from pasta maker Barilla.

So, while they may not have it every day, Italians do eat quite a lot of pasta over the course of a year. 

But how do they never get tired of it? 

One of the main reasons behind Italians’ unbreakable bond with the high-carb food is variety. 

Italians are extremely creative when it comes to pasta and they rarely eat the same dish twice in a row as they like to experiment with a wide range of recipes and sauces.

READ ALSO: Ten golden rules for cooking pasta like an Italian

Further, there are over 350 types of pasta in Italy, which means that you could potentially eat a different pasta shape almost every day of the year.

Another reason why most Italians have pasta multiple times a week is that they tend to eat it in moderation, steering well clear of potential carb overloads. 

While they may have a large, high-calorie pasta dish (for instance, lasagne or pasta al ragù) on weekends or on special occasions, people in the country generally go for lighter recipes and sauces on normal days, with portions generally going from 80 to 120 grams per person.

Also, Italians very rarely eat pasta twice a day, with the majority of people having it for lunch and then opting for a non-carb-based dish in the evening.

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