Glossario italiano dei termini di cucina

Italian English
abbacchio lamb
aceto vinegar
aceto balsamico balsamic vinegar
acqua minerale bottled mineral water
acquacotta vegetable soup usually
spiced with peppers and thickened with bread,
sometimes containing egg and cheese
affumicato smoked
agglassato Sicilian dish of braised beef
aglio garlic
aglio e olio garlic and oil
agresto unfermented juice of wine
grapes, used as a condiment
agrodolce sweet-and-sour
agrumi citrus fruits
aguglia needlefish, usually grilled or
stewed
al forno any food baked in an oven
al fresco outdoors, referring to a meal
taken outdoors
alaccia Africana sardine-like fish of the
Mediterranean, usually grilled or marinated
albanesi ring-shaped cookies made
with wine and olive oil
albicocca apricot, not widely cultivated
in Italy
alborella a small whitefish of the
northern Italian lakes, usually grilled
alfabeto small pasta shaped like
alphabet letters
alzavola teal, a wild duck, usually
roasted
amabile semisweet, usually in
reference to a wine, most often one that is
sparkling
amarena sour cherry, usually steeped
in alcohol or syrup, used mostly in desserts
amaretti  almond macaroons
amaretto any food or drink that is
almond flavored
ammogghio Sicilian mixed topping of
herbs, garlic and olive oil for fish
ananas pineapple
aneto dill, not a popular herb in
Italy
anguria watermelon
annata wine vintage year
antipasto 'before the meal'
aperitivo aperitif
apparecchio a kitchen appliance such as
a blender or coffee grinder
apribottiglia bottle opener
arachide peanut, eaten principally as
a snack
aragosta clawless lobster
arancia orange
arancine fried rice balls with meat or
other filling
arborio  a medium-grain rice used
for making risotto
ardente hot, piquant
aringa herring
arrostito roasted
arogosta lobster
arsella small wedge shell clam,
usually consumed on the half shell, raw
asparagi asparagus
assortito assorted foods
avanzi leftovers
azienda agricola a farm or estate which
produces all or most of the grapes for wine sold
under its labels
babà ring-shaped yeast cake
usually soaked in rum, typical of Naples
bacaro Venetian wine shop or wine
bar
baccala salt cod
bagno caldo hot dip
ballotte chestnuts boiled and
flavored with fennel or bay leaves
balsamico an aged Italian vinegar
bamborino beef flank
barbagliata Espresso coffee mixed with
 cocoa
basilico basil
bensone lemon-flavored sponge cake

bertagnin salt cod

besciamella a rich sauce made from
flour, butter and milk
bevenda general term for beverage or
drink
bianca pizza typed with parmesan
cheese which does not include pasta or tomato
sauce
bicchiere drinking glass
bicchierino paper cup for ice cream
birra rossa dark beer
birra chiara light beer
birreria brewery
biscotti literally 'twice cooked,' it
refers to all kinds of cookies
bistecca beefsteak
blau forelle blue trout, usually cooked in
white wine and vinegar, which reacts
chemically with the fish’s skin to color it blue
bollito misto mixed boiled meats served
with various sauces
bolognese outside Bologna, and
especially outside Italy, the term designates a
substantial meat sauce for pasta
bolzanese fruit and nut buns, from
Bolzano
bombo di riso a casserole of squib,
chicken, and onions cooked in rice with tomato
and white wine
bomboloni yeast doughnuts, often filled
with cream or chocolate
bongo Florentine profiterole of puff
pastry stuffed with pastry cream
bonito Bonito fish, cooked as a
steak on the grill or canned like tuna
bordatino Tuscan soup with corn flour,
beans, vegetables, and (sometimes) fish
borlotti  red and white beans, stewed
or served as a side dish with olive oil and garlic
boscaiola pasta sauce made with wild
mushrooms, tomato and fried eggplant
bottarga preserved roe of tuna or
mullet
bottiglia bottle
bovolo snail
brace grilled over an open fire or
coals
braciole stuffed meat rolls
braciolette small beef rolls
bramata a fine cornmeal used
in polenta
branzino sea bass, a prized, firm-
fleshed fish that is grilled, roasted, or baked. It
is often served cold
brasato braised beef or pot roast
brioche not usually the French
brioche, but generically breakfast pastries;
pronounced as in French
broccolo broccoli
brodetto a general term for any fish
soup or chowder
brodo broth
bruschetta toasted bread served with
various toppings
buccellato Tuscan raisin cake
buddaci  comber fish, usually cooked
in soup
budino pudding
buongustaio gourmet
burridda a fish stew, usually made
with the regional species of seafood
burro butter
bussolano Lombardian potato-lemon
cake
cacimperio Turinese cheese and egg yolk
fondue
cacio e pepe spaghetti dressed
with pecorino cheese and black pepper, a
Roman specialty
calamari squid
caldarroste chestnuts roasted over open
coals
calzone pizza dough that is filled and
baked or fried
camomilla chamomile tea
canditi  candied fruit
cannella cinnamon
cannellini white kidney beans
cannoli filled pastry tubes
cantina wine cellar or winery
cantucci Tuscan almond cookies
cappelletti small stuffed pasta 
capocollo a hot spiced ham
caponata eggplant relish
cappuccino espresso  topped with
foamed, steamed milk, usually consumed at
breakfast
cappucci guarniti  Istrian pork and sauerkraut
dish
carabacia Tuscan onion soup
caramellizzato caramelized or glazed
carbonade beef stew cooked in red wine
carnaroli a medium-grain rice used for
making risotto
carne meat
carne magra lean meat
carote  carrots
carrello food trolley
casa vinicola  wine house
casatiello spicy bread served with eggs
in a shell shape decoration
cassata a Sicilian cream-filled layer
cake
cassoeula casserole
caviale caviar
cavolfiore cauliflower
cavolo cabbage
cedro citron
cefaletto small squid-like sea creature,
usually grilled then served cold in a vinegar
marinade
cefalo grey mullet
cereali  general term for grains
cervellata  Milanese pork sausage
cetriolo cucumber, often marinated in
lemon and oil
champignon cultivated button mushroom
cioppino shellfish stew
cipolle onions
ciambotta vegetable stew with potatoes,
tomatoes, egg plant, onion, and peppers

cicoria chicory
ciliege cherries
cioccolata chocolate
cioccolata calda hot chocolate
composta di frutta stewed fruit, served as a
dessert
conchiglie generic term for hard-shelled
mollusks
concia marinade
confetteria confectionery
confettura jam which originally meant
citrus fruit marmalade
coniglio rabbit, served roasted, grilled,
or stewed
coperto cover charge at a restaurant
for bread, glassware and linens
coregono salmon trout, usually grilled
or roasted
coriandolo coriander, an herb used as a
seasoning, often freshly cut on top of a stew
cornetti croissant pastries, usually
eaten at breakfast, most often in a bar, coffee
shop
cotta a puntino “Cooked to the point.”
Medium, referring to the degree of doneness
for meat
cotto cooked
cozze mussels
crema cream
crema pasticcera  pastry cream
crochetta croquette
crosta crust
crostacei general term for crustaceans
crostata a sweet or savory tart
crostini  toasted bread, usually with a
savory topping
crudo raw
cucchiaio spoon
cuoco cook, chef

cuore heart
delfino dolphin, whose meat is
usually cut into strips and dried, served as
an antipasto in Liguria
denti di leone dandelion greens, boiled or
used in salads
dolce Torinese a Turinese rum-soaked
chocolate cake with biscuits and almonds
dolcetti  a general term for any small
sweet cakes and cookies
elice corkscrew-shaped maccheroni
elicoidali fat tube-shaped maccheroni
emmentaler a world-wide cow’s milk
cheese originally produced in Switzerland’s
Emme Valley
erba cipollina chives
erbe fini a mixture of chopped herbs
used as a flavoring for stocks and stews
espresso a highly concentrated cup of
coffee made from well-roasted Arabica beans
that are forced through a pressure valve
estratto extract, as of lemon or vanilla
fagioli beans
fagottini  thin pancakes filled with
savory and sweet flavors
fame hunger, appetite
farcita stuffing or filling
farfalle pasta shaped like butterfly
wings, often dressed with a ragù
farina flour
fazzoletti Ligurian pasta sheets folded
and sauced
fecola cornstarch
fedelini long pasta strands served in
broth
fegato liver
fetta slice
fetta di pane slice of bread
fettuccine  long flat egg pasta strands,
3/8 inch wide
fettunta  toasted or grilled bread
rubbed with garlic and olive oil, much like
bruschetta
filetto fillet
fiocchi di mais cornflakes
focaccia flatbread served plain or with
various toppings
foggiano a pecorino cheese from the
city of Foggia
fonduta cheese fondue, a mixture of
melted cheese and wine into which foods like
bread and vegetables are dipped
fontina soft unpasteurized cow’s
milk cheese
formaggio cheese
fragole strawberries
francesina breadstick
frantoio olive press
frasca Friulian term for a restaurant
located near a winery
frico melted cheese fritter from
Friuli
friggere to fry
friselle twice baked breads that
are soaked or sprayed with water for softening
before eating
frittata an open-faced omelet
fritto fried
frittura di Paranza Neapolitan fried fish dish
frizzante fizzy or faintly fizzy wine or
mineral water
frullato whipped iced fruit or coffee
beverage
frutta fruit
frutti di bosco berries, such as raspberries
and strawberries
frutti di mare seafood
fumetto concentrated chicken or beef
broth
funghi mushrooms
fuso melted, as butter
galletta dry biscuit, shaped like a flat
bagel
gamberetti shrimp
gambero name used for various
crustaceans, cooked in every conceivable way,
from boiled to fried, hot to cold
gardiniera mixed pickled vegetables
garganelli Romagna pasta dumplings
pressed to form grooves on the exterior
gassato carbonated
gattuccio dogfish
gazzosa lemon-flavored carbonated
water
gelato Italian style of ice cream, of
wide-ranging flavors, chiefly fruit, nuts and
chocolate
ghiaccio ice or ice cubes
ghineffi di riso Sicilian fried rice cakes with
saffron
giardiniera dishes prepared “garden
style,” with chopped vegetables and salad
greens
ginepro juniper
glassa pastry icing
gnocchi dumplings eaten with a sauce
or in broth
gorgonzola strong Lombardian blue-
veined cow’s milk cheese, made in and around
the town of Gorgonzola
granoturco sweet corn
grappa liqueur made from the must
of grapes
graticola grilled over a charcoal fire
with a grating
gremolata a condiment of chopped
garlic, parsley, lemon, and oil, served on the
side of meats, fish and poultry
grigette small snails
griglia grill
grissini breadsticks
guastedde sesame-filled roll
gusto  flavour, taste
imbottigliata bottled
imbottire to stuff
imbottita stuffed
impanare to coat with breadcrumbs
impastare to knead, as dough

indugghia Calabrian sausage made from

the meat, liver, lungs, and lard of pork
insaccato general term for salami and
sausages
integrale whole wheat
invecchiato aged, seasoned
involtini  envelopes or rolls of thinly
sliced veal, pork or fish cooked with stuffing
lagane pasta strips, usually served
with chickpeas
lampone raspberry
lasagna a layered pasta dish baked,
with fresh mozzarella
lasagne wide strips of egg pasta, used
to make layers for lasagna
lattuga lettuce, covering a range of
types
leccarda a dripping pan specifically
used under a roast on a spit
lesso boiled
limoncello lemon liqueur
limone lemon
lingue di gatto thin butter cookies
linguine flat thin noodles, mostly
popular in Southern Italy
liquirizia licorice, used in candies and
pastries
lista delle vivande menu of a restaurant
macelleria butcher shop
macinare to grind
macinato ground, minced
maiale pork
maionese mayonnaise
mais corn
malaga rum raisin flavor
mandorle almonds
manfrigoli Umbrian dish of pasta, garlic
and tomatoes
manicotti baked pasta tubes with a filling
manteca Basilicata cheese with a center
of butter
manzo beef
margarina margarine
mariconda Lombardian soup of
dumplings made from breadcrumbs, egg,
nutmeg, butter and cheese, usually served in a
meat stock
marille short, ridged maccheroni joined
side by side to form a double-barrel shape
marinara a plain tomato sauce
marinare to marinate
marmellata marmalade
marsala a rich brown fortified wine
marzapane marzipan, sweet almond paste,
used in pastries
marzolino Tuscan and Latium cheese
similar to pecorino
marzotica aged ricotta, produced in early
spring
mascarpone creamy, soft, mild cheese
mattarello rolling pin
mazzancolla large Mediterranean shrimp
mela apple
mela cotogna quince
melagrana pomegranate
melanzane eggplant
menta mint
menta piperita peppermint
merca salami made from gray mullet
mercato market
merluzzo cod
midolla di pane the spongy interior part of a
bread loaf
miele honey
minestra soup (usually thick)
minestrina thin soup
minestrone thick mixed vegetable soup
mirtillo blueberry, consumed fresh or
in a sugar syrup
mitili mussels
moleche soft-shell crabs from the
Venetian lagoon, usually deep-fried
mollica di pane breadcrumbs
molluschi  mollusks, including octopus,
squid and shellfish, such as clams and mussels
mondeghili  Lombardian meat croquettes
fried in butter
monzette Sardinian stuffed snails
moscardino  a kind of octopus, usually tiny
mozzarella a pure white soft cheese
muggine gray mullet, usually grilled
negozio alimentare grocery store
nocciole hazelnuts
noce di cocco coconut
noce moscata nutmeg
noci walnuts
olio oil
olio di oliva olive oil
origano oregano
orzo small, seed-shaped pasta
ostriche oysters
pagnottella a kind of brioche
pane bread
pane carasau a typical thin bread of Sardinia
panettone a fruit-filled yeast bread
pangrattato bread crumbs
panna cream
panna montata whipped cream
panpepato gingerbread
panzanella a special type of salad made
out of tomatoes and toasted bread
parmigiano a hard cow's milk cheese
pasta frolla pastry dough
pastella batter
pasticcio pie, pastry, or cake
pecorino sheep's milk cheese
pesca noce nectarine
pignoli pine nuts
piselli peas
pizza dolce cake or sweet bread
pizzella Neapolitan deep-fried dough
that can be stuffed with meats, cheese, and
vegetables
polenta a type of cornmeal
polipi octopus
pollame poultry
pollo chicken
polpette meatballs
pomodori tomatoes
pomplemo grapefruit
porchetta whole roast pig cooked with
herbs and garlic
porcini meaty wild mushrooms
prescinsoeua Ligurian soured milk; often
used in making pesto
prezzemolo parsley
primizie the first fruits or vegetables of
 the season
provolone a straw-white cheese,
sometimes smoked
prugna plum
puntine small pasta for soup
quattro staggioni this term literally means “four
seasons” and is usually applied to a kind of
pizza with four distinct toppings
rabarbaro rhubarb
rafano horseradish
ragu meat sauce for pasta
rapini another name for broccoli rabe
ribollita Tuscan bread and vegetable
soup
ricotta a fresh, mild cheese
riso rice
risotto rice cooked and stirred with
broth until creamy
rollatini small stuffed meat rolls,
sometimes in a sauce
romanello very hard skim milk cheese
whose main purpose is for grating
romano a hard Pecorino cheese
rosmarino rosemary
rotelle wheel-shaped pasta
rustico country-style
salsa sauce
salsiccia sausage
salso salt
sarde sardines
scalogna shallot
segale rye
sfogliatelle Neopolitan pastry filled with
flavored ricotta
sidro cider
sopresine small pasta for soup
sopressata a type of salami
spiedini anything cooked on a skewer
spigola sea bass
spinaci spinach
stufato stew
sugo di carne meat sauce
taralli round sweet or savory biscuits
tonno tuna
torrone nougat-type candy
torta cake
uove eggs
uva grapes
verdure vegetables
zabaglione whipped cream served as dessert
or a sauce
zafferano saffron
zenzero ginger
zeppole a fried pastry
zuppa soup