Italian cuisine is among the most popular in the world, and pizza and pasta can be found everywhere, but these barely scratch the surface of the food scene in this boot-shaped country. However, the pursuit of Italy’s culinary delights are not for the faint hearted. Dishes such as Sanguinaccio dolce, a pork blood pudding or cake from Tuscany, and Casu marzu, a cheese with maggots in Sardinia, test the limits of visitors. If these haven’t put you off, here are five more dishes to try.
Panino con il Lampredotto
Visitors to Florence are often unsure whether to try this dish. Panino means sandwich in Italian, which isn’t out of the ordinary, however, Lampredotto refers to tripe, aka beef stomach. This is usually cooked with herbs and broth in a slow stew. The lampredotto is then chopped as filling for the sandwich with the addition of a spicy sauce. The result is a tangy and flavourful taste, though the texture might be too soft for some to handle.
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Pani câ Meusa
Another sandwich but from the southern Mediterranean island of Sicily, Pani câ Meusa is only found in the city of Palermo. A street food that can be eaten in the main market, the fillings consist of cow spleen and lung. The innards are deep fried in lard and can be served with or without cheese, most commonly ricotta or caciocavallo. The sandwich is referred to as “married” when it is served with cheese, and “single” without cheese. The recipe was reputedly created by the poor Jewish community in the 11th century to make use of animal parts, and still beloved by Palermo citizens today.
Cervelli fritti
Cervelli fritti looks like tempura to the unsuspecting. However, they are deep fried lamb’s or cow’s brains in bite sizes. Most commonly found in Rome eateries, the texture of the brains is creamy and resembles cheese, contrasting with its fried exterior. It is a rich dish that is often paired with fried artichoke, though many will eat it on its own. The brains of young lambs or cows are preferred, and some recipes call for soaking it in soy milk overnight.
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Pajata
Arguably the most creative dish on the list, pajata is made from unweaned veal’s intestine with milk from its mother still inside. Pajata was banned from 2001 to 2015 because of Mad cow disease, but it is now back in trattorias across Rome. The milk, half-digested, is left untouched while cleaning the intestine. This congeals during cooking to form a deliciously creamy cheese-like sauce. The intestine is either grilled or cooked in tomato sauce with pasta, the latter being the preferred way.
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Cibreo
Made famous by a restaurant with the same name in Florence, cibreo refers to a dish made from various innards of a chicken. Common ingredients are chicken heart, livers, testicles and uncooked eggs. The offal is chopped into small pieces and cooked either as pasta companion or on its own. The authentic way to eat it in Tuscany is in a stew with a sauce made from garlic, onion, tomato, parsley, with flour, egg and lemon juice. The different texture of the chicken parts often appeal to those who dislike giblets and unusual animal parts.
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