I Lived In Rome For Years. This Is The Italian Food Rule Americans Break Most Often

It was mid-August when I first arrived in Rome. Much of the city was shut down for Ferragosto, but the outdoor markets were filled with vibrant produce. Many restaurants were still lit up at night, too, serving comforting Roman classics to remaining locals, heat-stricken tourists, and new residents like myself. That first week is a total blur in my mind, but what I remember most is the food: pistachio gelato, strozzapretti-shaped pasta al pesto, mozzarella and tomatoes drizzled in olive oil, and fried zucchini flowers. Each bite seemed to taste fresher than the next — and each meal seemed to introduce me to yet another Italian food rule.

Although I was familiar with many Italian dining customs and ordering do's and don'ts, my first few months in the Eternal City were full of food learning curves. There are so many mistakes Americans make when ordering food in Italy for the first time that it can be hard to keep track of them all. However, throughout my three years of living in Rome, the rule I noticed American tourists breaking most frequently is going through an entire basket of bread before the meal even arrives.

In the United States, bread is often served as an appetizer, especially at fast-casual chain restaurants. From the breadsticks at Olive Garden to the rolls at Texas Roadhouse, some diners might even consider the bread the highlight of the meal. But Italy does things a little differently. Instead of munching on the bread while waiting for your dish of amatriciana or saltimbocca alla Romana, you're generally meant to save it for after your meal, when you can scoop up all that leftover sauce and oil with it.

The act of scooping up leftover sauce, oil, or butter from your dish with bread is so ingrained into Italian culture that there's actually a name for it: Fare la scarpetta, which translates to "make the little shoe." The bread, which is dragged around the plate to gather the remaining sauce, is the "little shoe," or "la scarpetta," in question. The action is supposed to resemble a literal shoe, which picks up things on the ground.

If you find yourself in Italy, or at your favorite Italian restaurant in the U.S., and you want to do a scarpetta, simply take a piece of bread and hold it between your thumb, middle, and index fingers. Angle the soft part of the slice outwards so it can scoop up all the goodness that remains on your plate, and wipe up every last bit until it's nice and clean. Once you do a scarpetta, you might never go back to munching on rolls pre-dinner. And if you're anything like me, you'll find that la scarpetta is the perfect way to enjoy every bit of your meal while not overloading on bread before your dish even arrives. 

While you won't get thrown out of a trattoria for eating bread before your dinner, you will miss out on experiencing Italian food in a more authentic light. Travel is an excellent opportunity for us to break free from our comfort zones, learn about new customs, and find traditional, local food. In Italy, la scarpetta is a great way to do so — and to soak up every last bit of your trip.