Brodo: Soup. Bruschetta: Toasts, usually served with some sort of filling as antipasti. Although the two words can be used interchangeably, bruschetta are usually larger pieces of toast, while crostini are usually smaller. Burridda: A fish stew or fish soup. Burro: Butter. Calzone: A hearty cake made from a yeast dough that is rolled in a round like pizza, filled, folded in a semi-circle and baked. Cannoli: Crunchy and fried pastry tubes filled with cream. Caponata: A traditional Sicilian vegetable dish made from eggplants and tomatoes. Alla Caprese: In the style of Capri, that is, with tomatoes, basil, olive oil and mozzarella. Carpaccio: A dish of raw beef, very finely sliced, often seasoned with lemon and olive oil or mayonnaise, served as a salad or antipasti.
This: Chickpeas. Contorno: Vegetable side dish usually served with the main course Crema Pasticcera: pastry cream, a cream thickened with milk and egg used in desserts. Crespelle: Pancakes, both sweet and savory. Crostata: Dish, open pie, sweet or salty. Crostini: Toast like a crouton, usually served with a topping or sometimes just a touch of good olive oil. Crudo: Uncooked. You`ll probably see it in terms of raw fish appetizer. Fagioli: beans. Farro: Spelt, a cereal used in soups, bread and risotto-like preparations. Barley can be replaced. Fontina: Cow`s milk cheese produced in the Aosta Valley region of northern Italy. Formaggio: Cheese.
Frittata: an open omelet made entirely on the stove or started on the stove and finished in the oven; usually flavored with vegetables, herbs, meat or cheese. Frutti di Mare: Seafood. Gamberi: Shrimp. Gelato: Italian ice cream. Alla Genovese: In the style of Genoa, which means “with basil, garlic and oil”. Gnocchi: dumplings. We know better those made with potatoes and flour, but in Italy they are also made with semolina, ricotta or breadcrumbs. Gorgonzola: A kind of blue cow`s milk cheese from the town of Gorgonzola in northern Italy. Grana Padana: Hard cow`s milk cheese from northern Italy. Granita: An iced and grainy frozen dessert. Grissini: Bread sticks.
Integrals: Whole grains. Marinara: A tomato sauce with garlic, olive oil and oregano. Mascarpone: A fresh Italian cream cheese with a very soft and creamy texture and a buttery taste. Mascarpone is used in sweet and savory foods. Al Mattone: A technique in which an ingredient is cooked under a brick so that it remains flat for frying or grilling. Minestra: Soup. Mozzarella di Bufala: cheese made from the milk of water buffaloes. Mozzarella is also made from cow`s milk (much more commonly found here in the United States), in this case it is called Fiore di Latte. Both spoil quickly and should be used as soon as possible after purchase. Nocciola: Hazelnut, which is widely used in Italian cuisine in sweet and savory dishes.
Olio di Oliva: Olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil, made from the first pressing of olives, is of the highest quality. Panzanella: A traditional salad of old bread, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, basil and olive oil. Parmigiano-Reggiano: An excellent hard cow`s milk cheese originally made in and around Parma. If you have any doubts, the real Pamigiano-Reggiano will pochoira these words on the bark. Pecorino: A hard sheep`s milk cheese produced in the Region of Rome (called Pecorino Romano) as well as in Tuscany, Sardinia and Sicily. Peperoncino: A hot pepper used in Italian cuisine. Pesto: A famous green sauce from Genoa, made from basil, olive oil, pine nuts and pecorino, traditionally pressed in mortar and pestle. Pignoli: Pine nuts.
Pizza: Open cake made from yeast dough with hearty toppings, originally from Naples. Pizzaiolo: Fresh tomato sauce from Naples, which is often used in the manufacture of pizzas. Polenta: Both an ingredient – corn flour – and a porridge made from corn flour. Polpetta: Meatballs. Polpo: Octopus. Pomodoro: Tomato. Porchetta: Skewer, whole suckling pig. Porcini mushrooms: A fleshy mushroom used both fresh and dried in Italian cuisine.
First: The first course of a traditional Italian meal. Prosciutto: Although in America we consider prosciutto to be raw ham, in Italy the word simply means ham: prosciutto cotto is cooked; Prosciutto Crudo is raw.