This is a comprehensive, but not exhausting Glossary of Italian food words. Here we will add all our knowledge of Italian words and the meaning of them in English.
Learn about Italian culture
Whether you are an Italian food lover or just want to know the names of famous Italian foods, we want to spread the Italian culture all over the world, and by explaining what we know about it, hopefully will help people to fall in love with Italy as much as we are!
Learning these words will also help you if you plan to visit Italian restaurants and know what the terms mean in the Italian menus since not all restaurants in Italy have translated menus.
This dictionary is in alphabetic order.
Our sources to make this guide were based firstly my (Lucas’) personal knowledge of the Italian language and my experiences living there, Garrubo, Cellartours and Gayot.
A
Aceto: it means vinegar
Al dente: It refers to the perfect cooking point of pasta. It means the pasta is tender but firm in the inside
Aglio: garlic clove
Agnolotti: crescent-shaped, meat-filled pasta
Agrodolce: bitter sweet flavors or sweet and sour
Amaretti: a dessert macarons made with almonds
Anatra: a duck
Antipasto, antipasti: It’s the appetizers of an Italian meal. It is traditionally a charcuterie board with cured meats, olives, bread, various cheeses, pickled vegetables etc
Aragosta: a lobster
Arrosto: means a preparation of roasted meat
Aperitivo: Begins the meal. You can expect to received cocktails, prosecco, champagne, or wine. It’s also includes Antipasti, or the appetizers, while await for the next course
B
Bagna cauda: it’s a garlic and anchovies dip for raw vegetables
Birra: it means beer
Biscotti: it translates to cookies, crackers
Bistecca: it’s a T-bone steak. Normally grilled and served alla fiorentina or alla milanese, per example
Besciamella: béchamel sauce made from milk
Bolognese: a heavy meaty sauce made for pasta and lasagne
Bresaola: dark red, aged type of cured meat, served thinly sliced with lemon juice or olives as an antipasti
Bruschetta: toasted garlic bread topped with tomatoes
Bucatini: it’s a pasta type, hollow spaghetti
Braciole: it’s a rolled meat dish traditionally stuffed with ricotta, eggs and ham. Check out our Braciole
C
Calamari: it translates to squid
Calzone: stuffed pizza-dough turnover
Cannellini: a type of Italian white beans
Cannelloni: cylindrical shaped pasta
Cappelletti: a shape of pasta, stuffed with meat or cheese
Carbonara: a classic pasta sauce made with guanciale, eggs and hard cheese. Check out our Gnocchi Carbonara
Carpaccio: antipasti dish made of very thin slices of raw meat
Cassata: sicilian dessert. It’s a cake moistened with fruit juices or liqueur and covered with ricotta cheese and candied fruits
Cena: a regular supper dinner
Ciabatta: a type of white bread
Conchiglie: shell-shaped pasta
Coppa: pork meat dry-aged and sliced very thin
Contorni: This are side dishes served alongside secondi piatti (second courses). Generally vegetarian.
Costata: it means rib steak
Crostata: it means tart. Check out out Crostata di Frutta
D
(spaghetti fra) Diavolo: a pasta sauce made from tomatoes and chillies
Dolce: it means dessert.
Digestivi: It’s an alcoholic drink served to close a proper Italian meal, like limoncello, amaretto liqueurs which helps with the digestion
F
Fagioli: any type of beans
Farfalle: a type of pasta, bow-tie style
Fior di latte: a type of mozzarella cheese made from cow’s milk
(alla) Fiorentina: a dish made of grilled T-bone steak with pepper and olive oil
Frittata: Italian turned omelet
Frutti di mare: translates to seafood
Funghi: it means mushrooms
Fusilli: a type of pasta, spiral-shaped
Formaggio: It means cheese
G
Garganelli: a type of pasta, but egg based. It’s similar to penne
Gamberi: means shrimp
Gamberoni: prawns
Gelato: traditional velvety Italian ice cream
Granita: a sweetened, and flavored grated ice
Griglia: the process of grill
Gnocchi: mini Italian dumplings dish. Check out our Gnocchi Carbonara
Grana padano: a hard cheese type, like Parmigiano Reggiano
Granchio: means crab
Guanciale: it’s a cut of pork cheeks, cured
I
Insalata: It translates to salad. Also means a dish served alongside secondi piatti (second courses) during Italian meals.
Involtini: a roulade, filled with meat, fish or pastry. Can be sweet or savory.
Imbottito: means stuffed
Impanato: means breaded
Insalata caprese: classic Italian salad made from sliced tomatoes, mozzarella with fresh basil
Invecchiato: aged, seasoned, cured
L
Lasagne: A traditional Italian dish made with layers of sheets of pasta alternated with bolognese sauce and besciamella (bechamel sauce) and ingredients such as meats, vegetables, and cheese and topped with melted cheese
Latte: A coffee and milk drink. Check out our Banana Coffee Latte
Latte fritto: a fried custard dessert
Lesso: means boiled
Limoncello: a lemon liqueur
Limone: it translates to lemon
Lombata: pork loin
M
(alla) Milanese: Veal Milanese is traditionally prepared with a veal rib chop or T-bone thats breaded and fried in butter
Macinato: it means ground; minced
Maiale: it translates to pork meat
Mais: it means sweet corn
Malfatti: a type of gnocchi
Manzo: beef
Maccheroni: macaroni pasta
Miele: it means honey
Minestrone: vegetable soup
Minestra: soup; pasta course
Mortadella: type of ham made from ground pork meat and flavored with black pepper, pistachios or berries
N
Negroni: a cocktail made of Campari, vermouth rosso, gin and garnished with an orange peel
O
Orecchiette: a type of pasta, ear-shaped
Osso buco: cut of meat, braised veal shanks
Ostriche: it translates to oysters
P
Pancetta: it means pork belly
Pane: it translates to bread
Pasticceria: it means pastry or pastry shop
Pappardelle: a type of pasta, large, flat, string of pasta
Pecorino a type of hard cheese made from sheep’s milk.
Penne: a type of pasta, hollow and ribbed short pasta
Pinoli/Pignoli: it translates to pine nuts
Piccata: thinly sliced meat with a lemon or Marsala sauce
Pignoli: pine nuts
Pizza: oven-baked, flat dough base, typically covered with tomato sauce, cheese and some meat or vegetable topping(s)
Pollo: it means chicken
Polpette/Polpettine: small meatballs, patties
Polpettone: a type of meatloaf, made from ground meat and spices
Pomodoro: it means simply tomato
Porcini (funghi): prized wild mushrooms, also known as boletus
Pranzo: it means lunch or dinner
Primi/Primo Piatto: It translates to first course of a meal. Normally the first course doesn’t contain any meat, instead, you may expect fancy pastas, risotto, gnocchi, soups, gnocchi, lasagne, etc.
Prosciutto: Dry-cured salted ham thats normally thinly sliced and served as appetizer.
Provolone/Provola: a soft buffalo’s milk cheese
Puttanesca: a pasta sauce thats quick-cooked tomato sauce for spaghetti that contains black olives, capers, anchovies, and red pepper
Pesto: a cold pasta sauce made from crushed basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and olive oil
Polenta: it’s a traditional cornmeal dish
R
Ragú: a slow cooked ground meat sauce, served normally with pasta
Ravioli: a medium sized pasta dumpling, usually stuffed with a paste, cheese, egg yolk and served with a sauce or broth.
Ricotta: a type of soft cheese made from sheep’s milk
Rigatoni: a type of pasta, large, hollow ribbed pasta
Riso: it means rice
Risotto: dish of braised rice cooked with savory ingredients like mushrooms, shrimp, cheese
S
Salsa (verde): a type of sauce made from parsley, capers, anchovies and lemon juice or vinegar
Sambuca (con le mosche): a star anise-flavored liqueur. Can be served with three coffee beans floating in it
Salsicce: a type of fresh sausage
Saltimbocca: a dish made from veal scallop with prosciutto and sage
Semifreddo: frozen dessert, usually ice cream, served as it is or with a piece of cake
Secondi/Secondo Piatto: It translates to second course of a traditional Italian meal. It’s served beef, meat dishes, pork, lamb, seafood and sausages.
Soffrito: It’s the Italian name of a base for cooking. A mix of onions, celery and carrots sauté in olive oil for a a few minutes.
T
Tartufi: it means truffles
Tagliatelle: A type of pasta usually served with a meat sauce
Tiramisú: a creamy dessert of rum-spiked cake and Mascarpone cheese cream
Torta: it means cake
Tortelli: a type of pasta dumplings stuffed with greens and ricotta
Tortellini: a type of pasta, ring-shaped dumplings stuffed with meat or cheese and served in a broth or in a creamy sauce
Trenette: a type of thin noodles, generally served with potatoes and pesto sauce
V
Vaniglia: it means vanilla
Vongole: it translates to clams
Z
Zabaglione: a sweetened egg custard flavored with Marsala
Zucchero: it translates to sugar
Zuppa: it means soup
