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At the coffee bar
1. Caffè – an espresso
2. Cappuccino – a breakfast beverage not to be ordered after lunch or dinner
3. Macchiato – an espresso “stained” with milk foam
4. Caffè shakerato – an espresso shaken over ice forming a frothy summer treat
5. Caffè corretto – an espresso “corrected” with a shot of liquor, often grappa
6. Grappa – distillate made from grape pomace, the leftovers from wine-making
7. Caffè americano – an espresso served in a cappuccino cup with hot water on the side not to be mistaken with…
8. Un americano – an aperitivo of Campari, sweet vermouth, and club soda
9. Cornetto – an Italian croissant also referred to as a “brioche” in Northern Italy
10. Succo di frutta – fruit juice
11. Spremuta dʼarancia – fresh-squeezed orange juice
12. Un bicchiere dʼacqua – a glass of water
At the pizzeria
1. Pizza – a flatbread, often circular in shape, baked with or without toppings
2. Mozzarella – cowʼs milk cheese made by pulling or stretching the warm curd
3. Mozzarella di bufala – mozzarella made with buffaloʼs milk
4. Pomodoro fresco – fresh tomato
5. Salsa di pomodoro – tomato sauce
6. Basilico – basil
7. Origano - oregano
8. Acciughe – anchovies
9. Capperi - capers
10. Cipolle - onions
11. Peperonicni – red chilis, often dried and in flakes
12. Peperoni – bell peppers
13. Salame picante – pepperoni or spicy, cured sausage
14. Salsiccia – sausage
15. Ananas – pineapple, an unacceptable Italian pizza topping
16. Wurstel – hot dog, a passable Italian pizza topping
At the gelateria
1. Fiordilatte - “the flower of milk,” theoretically made with the best part of the milk, meaning the cream
2. Panna – cream made without egg yolk
3. Crema – cream made with egg yolk
4. Cioccolato – chocolate
5. Cioccolato fondente – dark chocolate
6. Nocciola – hazelnut
7. Gianduja – chocolate hazelnut
Words
Good to know
1. Colazione – breakfast
2 Pranzo – lunch
3. Cena – dinner
4. Merenda – snack, normally acceptable only if you are under the age of ten
5. Pane – bread
6. Olio extra vergine di oliva – EVOO
7. Formaggio – cheese
8. Carne – meat
9. Pesce – fish
10. Pollo - chicken
11. Maiale – pork
12. Cinghiale – wild boar
13. Di stagione – in season
14. Fuori stagione – out of season
15. Andato a male – gone bad
16. Vino – wine
17. Rosso/biano – red/white
18. Vino della casa – house wine
19. Vino della zona – wine produced nearby
20. Il conto – the check
21. Coperto – service charge, normally included in the check
22. Compreso – included
23. Escluso – excluded
24. Unʼaltra grappa, per favore – another grappa, please
Even better to know
1. “Conosco i miei polli.”
Literally – I know my chicken. What it means – I know what I am talking about
2. “Sei come il prezzemolo.”
Literally – You are like parsley What it means – You pop up everywhere.
3. “Non fare il salame.”
Literally – Donʼt act like salame. What it means – Donʼt be a ham, you idiot.
4. “Non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco.”
Literally - Not all donuts come out with a hole. What it means – Things donʼt always turn out as expected.
5. “Non puoi avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca.”
Literally – You canʼt have a full wine barrel and a drunk wife. What it means – You canʼt have your cake and eat it too.
Words Cont.
8. Bacio – also chocolate hazelnut, but easier to pronounce
9. Stracciatella – chocolate chip, but with chocolate flakes rather than chocolate chunks
10. Fragola – strawberry
11. Lampone – raspberry
12. More – blackberry
At the paninoteca
1. Panino – an Italian sandwich
2. Panini – more than one Italian sandwich. Panini is plural.
At the salumeria
1. Prosciutto di Parma – salt-cured, air-dried ham, aged in or around Parma for months.
2. Prosciutto San Daniele – salt-cured, air-dried ham from San Daniele in the Friuli region of Northeastern Italy
3. Speck – dry-cured, smoked ham from Northern Italy
4. Coppa (in Lombardy and Emilia Romagna) – cured sausage made of pork shoulder
5. Coppa (in central Italy) – cured sausage made of pork head
6. Finocchiona – fennel-flavored cured pork sausage
7. Guanciale – cured pork jowl
8. Pancetta – pork belly, cured but not smoked. Itʼs bacon with an Italian accent.
9. Pancetta affumicata – smoked pancetta
10. Porchetta – spit-roasted stuffed pig
Ingredients/dishes to look for
1. Bottarga – salt-cured fish roe often from Sardinia or Sicily
2. Bruscandoli – hop shoots
3. Foccacia di Recco – a very thin flat bread filled with cheese. Arguably the most delicious thing you are likely to eat in Italy. Look for it
in select parts of the Ligurian coast.
4. Frico – fried cheese served in Friuli
5. Granita – Sicilian shaved ice
6. Mascarpone – Italian cream cheese
7. Moeche – soft-shelled crabs from the Venetian lagoon
8. ʻnduja – spicy, spreadable pork sausage from Calabria
9. Ricci di mare – sea urchins, served seasonally in Puglia and Sicily
10. Funghi porcini – mushrooms with a big brown cap
11. Tartufo nero – black truffle, found year-round
12. Tartufo bianco – white truffles, available late fall to early winter
Words Cont.