How to: deciphering the Italian menu
Yes, perfect for a city trip or holiday in Italy! But even if you speak some Italian, quite a few unfamiliar terms can appear on a restaurant menu. We usually know what antipasto (starter), primo (first course), secundo (main course) and dolce (dessert) mean. But what exactly is maiale, for example? The Italian menu explained.
Don’t forget: as many Italians, as many opinions (especially when it comes to the contents of sauces).
Where will you sit?
Ristorante: chic, full-service restaurant, usually more expensive too.
Trattoria: informal family restaurant serving local food.
Osteria: simpler than a trattoria, often without a menu. Or with something scribbled on a piece of paper. The Osteria Francescana in Modena, named the best restaurant in the world, is by no means simple or cheap, although it is based on the local cuisine.
Enoteca: wine bar, originally without food. Nowadays often with food. And often trendy too.
At the ice-cream shop (gelateria)
Fior di latte: ‘the flower of milk’. The name for the best part of milk: the cream.
Panna: typically Italian cream, not comparable to our whipped cream, as it is thicker. Nor is it the same as crème fraîche or English double cream. It can be used in savoury and sweet dishes.
Crema: cream used for pastry. But also the name for the layer of foam on the strong espresso that you can also order in the gelateria.
Granita: Sicilian shaved ice.
Cioccolato fondente: dark chocolate.
Nocciola: hazelnut.
Lampone: raspberry.
Gianduja: chocolate-hazelnut.
Brioche con gelato: Sicilian ice-cream bun. Often eaten in the morning.
Pasta sauces (with reservations)
Boscaiola: with tomatoes, cheese, porcini mushrooms, olive oil and garlic. According to many recipes, also one of the few pasta sauces that includes butter.
Novelli: with tomatoes, anchovies and cheese.
Puttanesca: literally ‘of the whore’, with tomatoes, black olives, bell pepper, olive oil and garlic.
Alla Norma: Sicilian sauce with aubergine, tomatoes, (black olives), olive oil, garlic and grated salted ricotta.
At the pizzeria
‘Nduja: spicy ‘spreadable sausage’ from Calabria.
Pizza schiaccata: a kind of thick focaccia with olive oil and rosemary. Usually eaten in the morning.
Pizza fiori di zucca: with mozzarella, courgette flower, (anchovies) and olive oil.
Pizza Bismarck: with tomato sauce, mozzarella, ham and fried egg. Unfortunately, you don’t come across it on the menu very often anymore.
General
Prima colazione: breakfast. Italian-style, an espresso or ristretto drunk standing at the bar with a sweet croissant and a newspaper.
Pranzo: lunch.
Cena: dinner. The further south you go, the later in the evening.
Contorno: side dish. Often grilled vegetables.
Grissini: breadsticks. These are usually placed on the table in a jar. You pay a fixed amount for them, stated on the menu. This amount, coperto, also includes water and use of the tableware.
Maiale: pork.
Cinghiale: wild boar.
Lesso: boiled. As in my favourite pizza: patate lesso (boiled potatoes).
Ai ferri/grigliata: grilled.
Affumicato: smoked.
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