The signs of authentic Italian food, according to Rick Steves
Rick Steves recommends looking for short, handwritten menus, and avoiding both high-priced streets and brightly colored ice creams.
Italian cuisine is simple, based on fresh, local ingredients and very few embellishments. There are no typical condiments or seasonings: fresh herbs, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper are the norm. However, tourism is growing in cities like Rome and Florence, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to find authentic restaurants where simplicity reigns.
Travel writer Rick Steves suggests several red flags to avoid tourist traps. Even if you don't speak Italian, he advises looking for menus only in the local language. If they're handwritten, that's an even better sign, as it indicates the menu changes seasonally and depending on available ingredients.
A full-page menu featuring dishes from different regions, such as cacio e pepe from Lazio and ribollita from Tuscany, is an immediate red flag. The authentic version of each dish won't be the most faithful, and you might find out-of-season vegetables and ingredients unfamiliar to the area. When in doubt, it's best to choose the restaurant with the smallest menu.
Beyond food, ice cream is another area where tourists often go wrong. Color is the main clue, and Steves recommends avoiding brightly colored ice creams. Banana ice cream, for example, shouldn't be the color of the peel, but a very light, muted yellowish-gray, similar to the edible part of the fruit.
It's also best to avoid huge ice creams piled high with toppings. Authentic ice cream isn't heaped to the brim and is usually topped with a lid. It's simple, as it should be.
