Italian Food Dictionary

A____B____C____D____F____G____I____L____M____N____O____P____R____S____T____U____V____Z

A

Abbacchio

lamb

Aceto

vinegar

Affumicato

smoked

Aglio

garlic

Aglio e olio

garlic and oil

Agnello

lamb

Agrodolce

sweet/sour

Al dente

firm (literally to the tooth)

Amaretti

crisp cookies made with bitter almonds

Amaretto

a sweet liqueur flavored with almonds

Anace/Anice

anise

Anguille

eel

Anisette

a colorless liqueur flavor with anise

Antipasto

literally ‘before the meal’

Arborio

a medium-grain rice used for making risotto

Arogosta

lobster

Arancia

orange

Arancine

fried rice balls with meat or other filling

Ardente

hot, piquant

Arrostito

roasted

Arrosto

a roast

Asparagi

asparagus

B [Back to Index]

Baccala

salt cod

Bagno caldo

hot dip

Balsamico

an aged Italian vinegar

Basilico

basil

Bigne

fritters

Biscotti

literally ‘twice cooked’, it refers to all kinds of cookies

Bistecca

beefsteak

Bollito misto

mixed boiled meats served with various sauces

Bottarga

preserved roe of tuna or mullet

Braciolette

small beef rolls

Braciole

stuffed meat rolls

Brodo

broth

Bruschetta

toasted bread served with various toppings

Budino

pudding

Buongustaio

gourmet

C [Back to Index]

Cacciatore

hunter’s style

Calamari

squid

Calzone

pizza dough that is filled and baked or fried

Cannella

cinnamon

Cannellini

white kidney beans

Cannoli

filled pastry tubes

Capocollo

a hot spiced ham

Caponata

eggplant relish

Capozzelle

lamb’s head

Capperi

capers

Cappone

capon

Carciofi

artichokes

Carnaroli

a medium-grain rice used for making risotto

Carne

meat

Cassata

a Sicilian cream-filled layer cake

Cavolfiore

cauliflower

Cavolo

cabbage

Ceci

chick peas

Cioppino

shellfish stew

Cipolle

onions

Conserva

preserves

Cotolette

cutlets

Cotto

cooked

Cozze

mussels

Crema

cream

Crespelle

crepes

Crostata

a sweet or savory tart

Crudo

raw

D [Back to Index]

Dolce

sweet

Dolci

sweets and pastries

F [Back to Index]

Fagioli

beans

Farcita

stuffing or filling

Farro

an ancient grain similar to spelt

Fegato

liver

Festa

holiday

Fico

fig

Filetto

fillet

Finocchio

fennel

Focaccia

flatbread served plain or with various toppings

Formaggio

cheese

Fra diavolo

literally ‘of the devil’

Fragole

strawberries

Frittata

an open-faced omelet

Frittelle

fritters

Fritto

fried

Frutta

fruit

Frutti di mare

seafood

Funghi

mushrooms

G [Back to Index]

Gamberetti

shrimp

Gardiniera

mixed pickled vegetables

Garofani

cloves

Gnocchi

dumplings eaten with a sauce or in broth

Grana Padano

a cow’s milk hard cheese

Granchio

crab

Grappa

liqueur made from the must of grapes

Griglia

grill

Grissini

breadsticks

I [Back to Index]

Imbottire

to stuff

Imbottita

stuffed

L [Back to Index]

Lauro

bayleaf

Lenticchie

lentils

Limone

lemon

M [Back to Index]

Maiale

pork

Mandorle

almonds

Manicotti

baked pasta tubes with a filling

Manzo

beef

Marinara

a plain tomato sauce

Marinare

to marinate

Marsala

a rich brown fortified wine

Mascarpone

creamy, soft, mild cheese

Melanzane

eggplant

Minestra

soup (usually thick)

Minestrina

thin soup

Minestrone

thick mixed vegetable soup

Mortadella

a large cured and spiced pork sausage

Mosto Cotto

grape juice cooked to form a thick dark syrup

Mozzarella

a pure white soft cheese

N [Back to Index]

Natale

Christmas

Nocciole

hazelnuts

Noce Moscata

nutmeg

Noci

walnuts

O [Back to Index]

Olio

oil

Olio di oliva

olive oil

Origano

oregano

Orzo

small, seed-shaped pasta

Ostriche

oysters

P [Back to Index]

Pancetta

salt-cured pork, unsmoked bacon

Pane

bread

Panella

fried chickpea bread

Panettone

a fruit-filled yeast bread

Pangrattato

bread crumbs

Panna

cream

Panna Cotta

literally ‘cooked cream’, served for dessert

Panna montata

whipped cream

Parmigiano

a hard cow’s milk cheese

Pasqua

Easter

Pasta Frolla

pastry dough

Pasticcio

pie, pastry, or cake

Pecorino

sheep’s milk cheese

Peperoncini

dried red chiles

Pesto

a sauce from mashed ingredients, usually basil

Piccante

spicy

Pignoli

pine nuts

Piselli

peas

Pizelle

embossed wafer cookies

Pizza Dolce

cake or sweet bread

Polenta

a type of cornmeal

Polipi

octopus

Pollo

chicken

Polpette

meatballs

Pomodori

tomatoes

Porchetta

whole roast pig cooked with herbs and garlic

Porcini

meaty wild mushrooms

Primavera

springtime

Prosciutto

salt-cured, air-dried pork

Provolone

a straw-white cheese, sometimes smoked

R [Back to Index]

Ragu

meat sauce for pasta

Rapini

another name for broccoli rabe

Ribollita

Tuscan bread and vegetable soup

Ricotta

a fresh, mild cheese

Ripieni

stuffed

Riso

rice

Risotto

rice cooked and stirred with broth until creamy

Rollatini

small stuffed meat rolls, sometimes in a sauce

Romano

a hard Pecorino cheese

Rosmarino

rosemary

Rustico

country-style

S [Back to Index]

Salami

ground meat cured, seasoned and shaped like a sausage

Salsa

sauce

Salsiccia

sausage

Salso

salt

Saltari

sauteed

Salumi

collective name for salami and similar cured meats

Salvia

sage

Sambuca

a colorless liqueur made from anise

San Giuseppe

Saint Joseph

Sarde

sardines

Scaloppine

thinly sliced meat

Sedani

celery

Sfogliatelle

Neopolitan pastry filled with flavored ricotta

Sopressata

a type of salami

Spagna

sponge cake

Spiedini

anything cooked on a skewer

Spinaci

spinach

Stega

a yellow liqueur made from herbs

Stufato

stew

Sughi

sauces

Sugo di carne

meat sauce

T [Back to Index]

Taralli

round sweet or savory biscuits

Tonno

tuna

Torrone

nougat-type candy

Torta

tart

U [Back to Index]

Una festa

a saint’s day

Uove

eggs

Uva

grapes

V [Back to Index]

Verdure

green vegetables

Vitello

veal (calf)

Vongole

clams

Z [Back to Index]

Zabaglione

whipped egg custard serve as dessert or a sauce

Zafferano

saffron

Zampone

sausage-stuffed pig’s foot

Zenzero

ginger

Zeppole

a fried pastry

Zucca

squash

Zuppa

soup