“What,” my husband recently asked me, “is the difference between an osteria and a trattoria?” We were looking for a place to have Sunday lunch. “And, he continued, what about a ristorante?”
If you’ve been to Italy, you’ve undoubtedly seen osteria, trattoria, and ristorante on signs. To the American eye, they probably all look pretty similar. Undoubtedly, though, you’ve wondered what the differences are, if any, and what one offers that the others don’t.
While some places use the terms interchangeably today, the origins are different, and you can expect to find some differences in each. The biggest distinctions are in the atmosphere, the price, and the complexity of the offerings. Let’s look at them.
Osterie
Dating to medieval times, osterie were taverns that offered wine and snacks to their customers. The tables were communal and usually rough-hewn wood without tablecloths. Many osterie allowed customers to bring in their own food and simply order wine to accompany it. Osterie were for the common man….a place to enjoy companionship, food, and celebrations.
Today, an osteria is the most informal of the three types of establishments. You’ll find a simple, more-limited menu and, often, one that changes frequently. Many osterie may have handwritten menus or menus on boards. The osterie themselves are often warm and inviting, a bit homey, as it were.
Trattorie
Trattorie originated as family-run businesses with mamma and nonna cooking, papa waiting tables, and nonno serving wine. Often, trattorie were places where women could work because cooking was one of the things they could do outside of the home.
Like the osterie, trattorie are informal restaurants that offer simple fare. Today, the trattorie menus tend to offer regional specialties made from regional and seasonal ingredients. The trattorie offer a warm, friendly atmosphere, and you are apt to find red-check tablecloths covering their tables.
Ristoranti
Only since the late 18th century or so have restaurants become part of the world social scene. Until then, the upperclass considered public spaces to be dirty and, therefore, unhealthy, so they tended to eat at home. After the French Revolution, chefs who were no longer in the employ of aristocrats opened establishments for the public.
It follows, then, that ristoranti are the most formal of the three eating establishments. Usually, the menus are more complex and varied, and service is more proper. White tablecloths and crystal wine glasses cover tables. Many of the waitstaff have been with the ristorante for years, and some make a career of it. Prices, of course, tend to be higher.
And What About…..
There are other eating establishments in Italy, of course, with a pizzeria being at the top of the list. Next time we’ll look at a few others that might catch your eye…and your appetite.
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