A handy guide to

Must-know Italian Glossary

Sri Lankans have a soft spot for Italian food. Call us over for a slice of good old pizza and we’d be there in a wink. Pasta? Yes please! Craving Bistecca? Um… what? As much as we love Italian food, we are understandably left clueless when dining at Italian restaurants featuring menus with fancy sounding ingredients that sound… Italian. With no explanation, to boot. Staff are sometimes equally clueless, running back and forth a million times before they can give you a plausible answer. So whether you’re dining at a high end Italian restaurant or a small trattoria, allow us to arm you with enough Italian lingo so you can confidently navigate the menu!

Aceto Balsamico:

Balsamic vinegar, a sweet-and-sour, dark-brown vinegar traditionally made in Modena. The vinegar is made from the cooked juice of Trebbiano grapes, and aged for several years in a succession of

Biscotti: cookies Bistecca (alla fiorentina):

charcoal-grilled T-bone steak (seasoned with

Calamari (calamaretti): (baby) squid

Calzone: A savoury pie made from a yeast dough that is rolled to a round like a pizza, filled, folded over to make a halfcircle, and baked.

Cannoli: Crisp, deepfried pastry tubes that are filled with cream.

Focaccia: crusty flat bread

Formaggio: cheese Frittata: Italian omelet made entirely on top of the stove, or

Gelato: Italian ice cream Gnocchi: dumplings

different wood barrels.

Al Dente: Italians cook pasta “al dente,” which means “to the tooth,” meaning that it still has a little bite.

All’aglio e Olio: A dish with this name is made with garlic and oil.

Antipasto: a little something that is served before the meal, or as an appetiser.

Arrabbiata: tomato sauce flavoured with chili to make it.

pepper and olive oil)

Bolognese: pasta sauce with tomatoes and meat

Bruschetta: toasts, usually served with a topping of some sort as an antipasto. While the two words may be used interchangeably, bruschetta are typically larger pieces of toasts, while crostini are typically smaller

Carbonara: pasta sauce with ham, eggs, cream and grated cheese

Carpaccio: paper thin, raw beef (or other meats), often seasoned with lemon and olive oil or mayonnaise, served as a salad or antipasto

Conchiglie: shellshaped pasta

Crespelle: crêpes Crostini: Toasted bread like a crouton, usually served with a topping of some sort, or sometimes just a drizzle of good olive oil.

started on top of the stove and completed in the oven; usually flavored with vegetables, herbs, meats or cheeses

Frutti di mare: seafood (especially shellfish)

Funghi (trifolati):

mushrooms (sautéed with garlic and parsley)

Fusilli: spiralshaped pasta

made of cheese (di ricotta), potatoes (di patate), cheese and spinach (verdi), or semolina (alla romana)

Granita: sweetened, flavoured grated ice

Grissini: Breadsticks.

Marinara: A tomato sauce with garlic, olive oil and oregano.

Mascarpone: A fresh Panna: heavy cream

Panzanella: A traditional salad made with stale bread, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, basil and olive oil. Pappardelle: wide, flat pasta noodles

Parmigiano-reggiano:

An excellent hard, cow’s milk cheese originally produced in and around Parma. If you’re in doubt, true Pamigiano-reggiano Salsa (verde): sauce (of parsley, capers, anchovies and lemon juice or vinegar) Secondo: Main course

Tartufi: truffles

Italian cream cheese with a very soft, creamy texture and buttery flavour. Mascarpone is used in both sweet and savoury dishes

Minestrone: vegetable soup

Mozzarella di bufala:

fresh cheese made from water-buffalo milk

Olio di Oliva: Olive oil. Extra-virgin oil, made from the first pressing of the olives, is the highest quality.

Orecchiette: earshaped pasta

will have those words stencilled on the rind.

Penne: hollow, ribbed pasta

Pepperoni: green, red or yellow sweet peppers

Pesto: cold pasta sauce of crushed basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and olive oil

Primo: The first course of a traditional Italian meal

Provolone: A sharp cow’s milk cheese

(Alla) Puttanesca:

tomato sauce flavored with capers and anchovies, and often with olives, garlic and chile flakes

Ragú: meat sauce Ricotta: fresh sheep’smilk cheese Rigatoni: large, hollow ribbed pasta Risotto: braised rice with various savoury items

of a traditional Italian meal

Semifreddo: frozen dessert, usually ice cream, with or without cake

Soffrito: A mixture of chopped vegetables, usually onion, carrot, celery and garlic, which forms the base of many Italian soups, sauces and stews.

Tiramisú: creamy dessert of rum-spiked cake and triple-crème Mascarpone cheese

Tortellini: ring-shaped dumplings stuffed with meat or cheese and served in broth or in a cream sauce