Italian to English Cooking Dictionary
Abbacchio - very young lamb
Abbassare - to lower
Abbinare – to pair, to match
Abbrustolire - to toast, to roast
Abomaso - (Lampredotto) - reed tripe
Acciuga,he - anchovy,s (alice)(sardoncini)
Acciaio inox- stainless steel
Accomodare - to arrange (see sistemare)
Accostare - to put along side of something
Acerbo, a - sour, unripe
Aceto – vinegar
Aceto Balsamico - balsamic vinegar
Aceto di mele - apple cider vinegar
Aceto di Riso - rice wine vinegar
Aceto di vino bianco - white wine vinegar
Acetosa – herb that is harvested from the corncob flower
Acidificare - acidify (adding acidic ingredients)
Acidita` - acidity, sourness, tartness
Acido- sour
Acini di pepe – smallest variety of pastina made with wheat flour
Acini di uva - grape
Acqua di cottura - cooking water
Acqua di fiori d'arancio - orange flower water
Acqia di rose alimentare - sterile water infuse with perfume and color of roses
Acquaio - kitchen sink
Acquavite - a brandy
Adagiare – lay down (carefully)
Adagio - slowly
Addensare - to thicken
Aderire – to adhere to (aderiscano bene – they adhere well)
Affettare- to slice (affettala, le –slice it, them)
Affettatrice - slicer
Affettaverdure - vegetable slicer (see also Sveltafetta)
Affilacoltelli - knife sharpener
Afflosciarsi - to become limp
Affogate (in camicia) – poached
Affumicato,a - smoked
A filo - flush with, cover with
A fuoco lento – simmering
Agar agar - a thickening agent like gelatin that is extracted from red algae
Aggiungere - to add
Aggiustare - to adjust or correct
Aggrinzare- to make wrinkled or curled
Aghetto, aghi - needle, needles
Aglio - garlic
Aglio nero - black garlic
Agnello – lamb
Agnolotti – squares or half moon shaped egg pasta with meat or vegetable filling
Agoni - shad fish
Agretti - (see Barba di Frate)
Agro – sour
Agro di limone - lemon flavor, lemon juice, lemon extract
Agrodolce – sweet and sour
Ajucche - is rampion, it looks similar to a radish with an edible white root and green tops that are also eaten
Albicocca – apricot
Alborelle - small freshwater fish usually deep fried
Albume- egg white (bianco d’uovo)(Chiara,e)
Alchermes - herb based sweet aromatic liquor
Alcool - alcohol
Alcool puro - pure grain alcohol
Al dente - slightly undercooked
Al forno – baked, to roast
Al fresco - in a cool place, inside a cooler
Alice, (acciuga)(sardoncini) – anchovy
Ali di razza - skate wings
Allagare - to spread
Allergizzante - allergenic
Alligatore - alligator
Allungare - to dilute or water down
Al Vapore - steamed
Alzata, Alzatina - cake stand
Alzavola, Arzavola - a Teal duck
Amalgamare - to blend or mix (amalgamali - blend them)
Amaretti - cookie made with egg whites,almonds and sugar
Amaro – bitter
Amarognolo,a - slightly bitter
Amido - starch
Amido di mais - corn starch
Ammollo- soak (mettere in ammollo -put to soak) (Lasciare in ammollo - let soak)
Ammollare - to make soft or dissolve by immersion in liquid (ammollato,a -soaked)
Ammoniaca - ammonia
Ammorbidire –to soften
A mo' di - prep like
Anacardio - cashew
Anaci - to flavor with anise
Ananas, ananasso – pineapple
Anatra - duck
Anellini – medium to small ridged tubular pasta cut in thin rings
Anemoni (Jujime) - sea anemones
Aneto - dill
Angolo di cottura – cooking area
Anguilla - eel
Anguria – (see also cocomero) watermelon
Anice - anise, anice seed
Anice stellato - star anice
Anicini - a candy-coated fennel seed
Anidride Carbonica - carbon dioxide
Animelle – sweetbreads, edible internal parts of animal i.e. pancreas, thymus gland
Anisette - sweet clear liqueur made from anise seeds
Anitra - duck
Annaffiarre - to bathe with something (annaffiatele - you all bathe them)
Anneletti - pasta in the shape of little rings
Annerire - to blacken
Anolini - a dumpling filled with vegetables, egg, cheese, nutmeg, sometimes meats usually cooked in broth
Antiaderente - non stick
Antipasto – entree`
Aperitivo - aperitif
Apriscatole - can opener
Apparecchiare – to set/lay
Appassire - to wilt
Appiatire - to flatten
Appiccicare - to be sticky, to stick to
Aprire - to open (apriteli - open them)
Arachide – peanut
Aragosta – lobster (see astrice)
Arancia – orange
Arancini - a very popular rice ball that looks like an orange stuffed with various fillings
Arance Sanguigne - blood orange
Arborio - short grained rice used to make risotto
Aringa affumicata - kippered herring
Arista - loin from the back of the pig (chine of pork)
Arnese - cooking utensil like a handle or tong
Aroma di vaniglia -vaniglia flavoring
Aromatizzare - to flavor with herbs and spices
Arrabbiata - (means angry in Italian) in cooking means to make spicy hot
Arricchire - to enrich
Arricciare - to curl
Arrocchiare - to cut across
Arrostire - to roast
Arrosto - roast, grilled
Arrotino - knife-grinder
Arrotondare - to supplement, to round up
Arselle - clams (see Vongole)
Arso - burnt, dry
Arzillo- pungent odor of the sea
Asiago - a semi-firm cheese with a nutty flavor
Asparagi - asparagus
Asparago bianco - white asparagus
Asportare - to remove
Asse rigata - gnocchi board
Assodare - to harden
Assottigliare - to flatten or thin down (i.e. dough)
Astice – lobster (see aragosta)
Attrezzo - tool or implement
Attrofizzano - reducing
Avvolgere - to wrap up, to roll up
Bacca di ginepro – juniper berry
Baccala`- dried cod fish, hake (merluzzo)
Baccello di vaniglia - (Bacca di vaniglia) vanilla bean
Bacinella - bowl
Badando - paying attention
Bagna - sauce
Bagna cauda - sauce made with olive oil, butter, garlic and anchovies
Bagnare - to soak,wet,moisten (see Inzuppare)
Bagnomaria – bainmarie ( to cook in a double saucepan)
Balanzoni - is a large tortello pasta with a thicker dough
Balsamella - bechamel
Barattolo - jar, pot, tin, can
Barbabietola (bietola) - beet
Barba di frate (Agretti, Lischi, Rospici, Arescani, Riscoli) - called friars or monks beard is an edible thin tubular green that looks like chives or a friars beard that is slightly bitter, it can be boiled and served with lemon juice and olive oil or baked
Barbine - fennel frawns.
Barletta - small white onion 3/4 inch in diameter
Barlotti bean lamon - a white bean with red flecks from Venice that is used in salads and is creamy in soups. It is the bean used most in pasta fagioli
Barra - a bar
Basilico – (sweet) basil. See also vas nicola
Basilico Santo - holy basil
Bastoncino,i - little stick (bastoncino di pesce - fish stick)
Battere - to beat
Batticarne - tenderizer hammer
Battutino - small bar
Battuto – chopped mixture
Bauletto - bundle or roulade filled with vegetable, meat, or fish
Bavarese - Bavarian
Bavette - egg pasta that origionated in Genoa that has the shope of flat spagetti or narrow linguini
Besciamella - be'chamel
Bernoccolo,a - lumpy
Bernoccuta - winter squash
Bianchetti (nunnate)- very small white fish usually deep fried
Bianchini - white meringues
Bianco d’uovo – egg white (albume)
Bicarbonato di soda - baking powder, sodium bicarbonate9
Bicchierini - small glass, liqueur glass, snifter, shot glass
Bietola - swiss chard
Bietola rossa - red swiss chard
Bigne' alla panna (see also Pasticcini ripieni) - cream puff
Bigoli – long tube egg pasta made with whole wheat flour
Birra - beer
Birra alla spina - beer on tap
Bistecca - steak
Bistecca alla Fiorentina - a thick steak from a breed of white cattle in the region of Florence
Bistecca di lombo - flank steak
Bistecchiera - grill pan
Bitto - a semi-hard sweet cheese made from cows milk and 10% to 20% goats milk from Lombardia
Bocconcini - small nuggets of fresh mozzarella (means small nibble)
Bocconotto,i - oval or round dessert with short crust filled with jam, preserves or almond cream
Bollicine - bubbles
Bollire – to boil
Bollito misto - mixed boiled meats
Bollitore - kettle
Bollore- to bring to a boil
Bolognese – tomato sauce made with beef, pork and veal
Bomboline - small dough ball formed from potato or rice, flowered,fried and used in soup or with other condiments
Borlotto – kidney beans
Borragine - borage or star flower a wild herb with a cucumber like flavor
Bottarga - fish row that is dried and salted taken from grey mullet, tuna, swordfish (called Ovotarica in Calabria)
Bovoloni - (vaccareddi) large snails
Brace – embers
Bracioline - chops
Bramata - coarsely ground corn meal
Branzino - sea bass
Bresaola – thin sliced seasoned meat served flat or rolled
Brasare - to braise
Brasato - braised
Brasciuoli - stuffed veal rolls
Bsriciole - crumbs
Bricioloni - crumble
Broccoli di Raba – broccoli rabe is a bitter green related to cabbage, kale, cauliflower and mustard (see also Rapini, Friarielli)
Brocolo - Sicilian word for cauliflower
Brodo - broth
Brodetto - a seafood soup from the Marches
Brodo di carne - beef broth
Brodo di pollo - chicken broth
Bruciare - to burn, to scorch (bruciacchiando - scorching)
Bruscandoli - the shoots of hop flowers
Brutti ma buoni - (means ugly but good) a irregular shaped cookie made with almonds, egg white,butter, cinnamon and vanilla
Bucare - to pierce (bucatelo- you all pierce it)
Bucatini - a durum wheat thick pasta that is long with a hole running through the middle
Bucherellate - you (pl) riddle with holes
Bucchero - terra cotta pot, jar, or vase
Buccia, ce - skin, peel, rind
Budellino - casing used in sausage making
Budello - the bowel, intestine or gut, caseing
Budino - pudding
Bue, Buoi - beef
Bulide - a cooked wine product
Burrata - is a pasta filata cheese. It is made fresh with buffalo or cows milk and it is softer then mozzarella but stringier
Burrida - a fish stew of Genoa and Sardegna
Burro - butter
Burro fuso – melted butter
Burrosa - buttery
Busiati - (see also maccheroni al ferro, ferrazzuoli) semolina pasta shaped around a iron or wood rod
Busto - bust (top half)
Cachi - persimmon
Cacio – cheese
Caciocavallo – ( cheese on horseback) a soft thick firm cheese that is made by stretching (pasta filata type) formed into a long pear shape or a gourd tied with a string can be plain or smoked and made from cows milk and hung on a wooden carpenter's horse.
Cacioricotta - a dry salted goat and sheep's milk cheese from Basilicata.
Caciotta - aged cheese from Tuscany made from cows, sheep or goats milk
Caco mela - persimmon (see also cachi)
Cad. - abbreviation for word cadere (to fall) means not alive
Cagliare - to curdle
Calamaro,i – squid
Calamaretti spillo - baby squid
Calare - heat, warmth
Calciuni - sweet chestnut fritters that are stuffed and shaped like half moon ravioli
Caldana – small room that is used by bakers, where the bread dough is placed to rise
Caldaro - a Tuscan seafood stew
Calotta - a segment (see spicchio)
Calottina -small segments of crowns
Calvados - an apple brandy from France
Calzone - pizza dough that is stuffed and folded
Camomilla - camomile
Candele – long, large, tubular shaped pasta
Candito - candied
Canestrato - a pungent goat's and sheep's milk cheese aged for 8 months from Moliterno
Canestrello,i - name of bivalve mollusks, a variety of homemade desserts, and local cheeses
Cannella – cinnamon
Cannello da cucina - chefs torch
Cannello di latta - tube shaped tin to cut circles
Cannellini – white kidney beans
Cannelloni – egg pasta rolled into tubes filled with meat or vegetables
Cannolicchi - is broken spaghetti
Cannoncino - a cream horn which is a made with puff pastry dough and filled with cream
Canocchie - (squill fish) mantis shrimp
Canovaccio – dish towel (canovaccio da cucina – kitchen towel)
Cantucci - (means corners)- small biscotti cut at angles with almonds
Capace - large, capacious
Capasanta - a scalop (Capesante - scalops)
Capelletti – egg pasta that is filled and shaped into little hats
Capelli d'angelo - angel hair pasta
Capellini, capelli d`angelo – angel hair pasta
Capiente, capienza – capacious, capacity
Capocollo – a wide salumi made with smoked pork from the back of the neck.
Capocuoco - head Italian chef
Capomazzi - intestines of milk fed lambs
Caponata – a side dish made with eggplant, onion, anchovy, capers, pine nuts, tomato
Capovoletelo - you all turn it upside down (Capovolgere - the verb)
Cappello del prete - a cut of meat from the beef shoulder
Cappero – caper
Cappone – large chicken, capon
Capponette - savoy cabbage (see versa)
Cappuccino - coffee made with espresso and foamed milk
Capra - goat
Caprino - a goat's milk cheese
Carapace - shell of crustacean
Carboidrati - carbohydrates
Carcassa - carcass
Carciofo – artichoke
Cardamomo - cardamom
Cardo,Cardoni - cardoons, leaf from a plant in the artichoke family
Cardoncelli - a wild oyster mushroom from the mediteranean
Carnaroli - medium grained rice used to make risotto
Carne - meat
Carne di cervo - venison
Carne in umido - meat stew
Carnesecca – panchetta from a salted pig
Carnoso, i - fleshy, pulpy, full
Cappero - caper (see also cucunci)
Caramelle - a filled pasta that is shaped like the old type candy wrapper. (exp. Salt water taffy)
Carota - carrot
Carpaccio - thinly sliced seasoned raw beef
Carrello - trolley
Carta da musica - thin flat unleavened bread (means music paper)
Carta stagnola - tin foil (see foglio d`alluminio)
Carta sugante - paper that absorbs or drys
Carta unta - greased paper
Cartoccio - al cartoccio - in foil
Carvi - caraway
Caseificio - creamory
Casera - home made cheese
Caserseccio,a,ci ce - homemade
Casolet - a pale smooth cows milk cheese shaped in a cilindrical form that is aged up to 60 days.
Cassata - sponge cake with liqueur, ricotta, candied fruit
Casseruola- saucepan
Cassunziei - a beet filled ravioli
Castagna- chestnut
Castagnaccio - simple chestnut cake made in Tuscany
Castelmagno - a semi-hard pasteurized cows milk cheese from the Grana Valley of Piedmont
Castrato - lamb
Casu de fitta - a brined fresh sheep's cheese from Sardegna
Catalogna - a variety of cicory with long leaves
Cavallo - horse
Cavatappi – medium/thin, hollow, ridged pasta twisted into a spiral and cut short,corkscrew
Cavatelli – pasta shaped like sea shells larger then orrecchietti
Caviale, caviaro - caviar
Cavolfiore – cauliflower
Cavolfiore romanesc (Brocolo Romanesco)- a cross between broccoli and cauliflower having a larger amount of cauliflower
Cavolino di Bruxelles – brussels sprout
Cavolo, i -cabbage
Cavolo cappuccio - regular tight head of cabbage (red or green)
Cavolo chinese - chinese cabbage
Cavolo nero - black kale
Cavolo rapa di vienna bianco- white kohlrabi
Cavolo ricciuto- kale
Cavolo verzotto – variety of cabbage with large leaves (Verza)
Cazzilli - potato croquettes
Cecetti - also called ceciarelli a pasta similar to small gnocchi (gnocchettti)
Ceci, Cicciri - cickpea, garbanzo bean
Cedro - citron
Cerchio - a circle
Cerfoglio - chervil
Cernietta - small grouper fish
Cervella - brains
Cervellatine - a thin spicy sausage from Naples
Cespo - a tuft of something
Cesta di Vimini – wicker basket (Cesto, Cespo – basket)
Cestello - a drum, crate, ice bucket
Cestini - a filled pasta made in a pyramid shape by folding all 4 corners of a pasta square together
Cetrino - fruit from Citron tree which is pale yellow like a lemon but larger with a milder citrus flavor
Cetriolo – cucumber
Cetriolo sottaceto all'aroma di aneto - dill pickle
Chamois - small hoofed animals (like goats from the alps)
Champignon - white mushroom
Charlotte - dessert that is molded, it has sponge cake or lady fingers on the side and is filled with layers of fruit, custard or cream
Chela,e - claw or fish nipper
Chiara,e - egg white,s (albume, bianco d`uovo)
Chiazza - splash
Chicchi di uva bianca - white grape
Chiccho,i – grain (cereal, rice, bean, coffee ) (chichi di pepe contuso- grains of cracked pepper)
Chilo - kilo
Chiodo di garofano – clove
Chiodino - means small nail is a mushroom with long, thin stems and a yellow or brown cap fround in a cluster
Cialda,e - wafer, waffle
Cialledda - a cold bread and vegetable salad, a hot bread and vegetable soup
Ciambella - ring shaped
Ciambella - desert cake of flour,sugar,eggs formed into a ring
Ciamotta - mixed vegetable stew
Cibreo - simple sauce
Cicerchia - also known as chickling vetch or glass pea is a dried bean from Umbria used in soups and salads
Cicerchie - climbing herb of the legume family
Cicciolo,i - cracklings, pork rinds or flavored pork bits left in pan after cooking (see also cotenna, sicciolo)
Cicoria – chicory
Cicorino a Rosetta - a green radicchio with short leaves
Ciliegia – cherry
Cimetta, e - small tops of a vegatable
Cinghiale - wild boar
Ciocchette - small handful
Cioccolata alla vaniglia - chocolate with vanilla (vanilla enhances the flavor of chocolate)
Cioccolate a scaglie - chocolate chips
Cioccolato - chocolate
Cioccolato fondente - rich, fine, dark chocolate with high percent of cacao
Ciotola - mixing bowl, dish
Cipolla – onion, gizzards worth when speaking of chickens.
Cipollina - chives
Cipollini – bittersweet bulbs of the grape hyacinth taste and look like small onions
Cipollotto - spring onion or scalions
Cipro - a type of white wine
Circolare - circular
Cittronette - a citrus dressing
Ciuffo - a bunch
Ciuffetto - small bunch
Coccio - earthenware
Cocomero - (see also anguria) watermelon
Cocotte - cooking casserole
Coda,e - tail (codine - small tails)
Coda alla vaccinara - braised oxtails from Lazio
Colabrodo - colander, strainer (see also colapasta, scolapasta)
Colapasta- colander (see scolapasta, colabrodo)
Colare – to strain (Colala - strain it)
Colata – flow
Colazione - (prima) breakfast, (seconda) lunch
Colino - strainer (see also passino)
Colla di pesce - plain gelatin (see gelatina)
Collocare – to place, position, to lay
Colloso - sticky
Colmare - to fill (with) (to the brim) colmatela - you (pl) fill it
Colomba - easter panetone, dove
Coltello - knife
Coltellacio - meat knife
Combaciare - to coincide, to fit together
Compattandare - to compact (compattandolo - compacting it)
Composto,a- mixture, compound, composit, stewed fruit,compote
Compresa - include (verb - comprendere)
Conca - bowl
Concass'e- a dice of tomatoes that have been peeled and seeded
Concentrato di pomodoro - tomato paste
Conchiglia – abalone,scallop
Conchigli – stuffed, seashell-shaped dry pasta
Conchigliette – little shells used in light soup
Condendo- seasoning (condendola- seasoning it)
Condensare - to condense
Condimento – seasoning, dressing, condiment
Condire- season, flavor (condiscila – season it)
Confettura - jam, marmalade
Confezione - preparation
Congelare - to freeze food
Congelato - frozen
Congelatore - freezer
Coniglio – rabbit (lepre)
Conservante - preservatives
Conservare- to preserve,keep or maintain
Contegnire - to contain
Contenitore - container
Contorno - side dish, vegetables
Controfiletto - sirloin
Copapan - bread slicer for heavy bread wheels
Coperchio - lid, cover
Copertura - cover, covering
Copi - knife stroke
Coppa - large pork sausage made with various pork parts
Coppapasta - cutter for different shapes of pasta
Coppetta, e - cups
Coprire – to cover (copritela- you all cover it)
Corata, Coratella - the heart, lungs, liver, spleen of a butchered animal tied in small braids
Cordoncino - thin cord
Coriaceo - tough
Coriandolo - coriander
Cornetto - brioche, croisant, sweet bun, french bean, string bean
Corteccia – crust, rind, bark
Corzetti - pasta in the shapes of figure eights from Val Polcevero
Corzetti stampi - pasta disks stamped with a raised motif
Coscia – thigh, leg (coscia di pollo)(coscetti – small leg)
Cosciotto - leg
Cospargere- sprinkle (cosparci- sprinkle it, them)
Costa - rib, ribbing
Costardelle - (Saury) small oily Atlantic fish
Costata – large chop ( di manzo)
Costato - ribs
Costine di maiale - rack of pork ribs
Costola,e – spine(s), back(s), rib (s)
Costoletta - cutlet
Costoluto - large ribbed
Cotechino - pork sausage (see salsiccia di miale)
Cotenna - pork skin or rind (see also ciccioli, cotica and siccioli)
Cotogna,e - quince
Cotoletta – chop, cutlet
Cotone - cotton
Cotone idrofilo - cotton wool
Cottura – cooking
Courgettes - zucchini
Coviglia ( see also semifreddo) - chilled desert
Cozza - mussel
Cragno - a high fat sausage from Trieste
Crauto - cabbage either red or white used for sauerkraut
Crema – cream
Crema di burrata - a mixture of 300 gr Burrata cheese and 90 ml of milk
Crema di sesamo - tahina, sesami seed paste
Crema pasticcera – custard, flour added to cream to make it less liquid
Cremini - is a baby portobello mushroom
Cremolate - (see also Granite) - soft ices
Cremor tartaro - cream of tartar
Cremosa - creamy
Cren - horseradish, cren sallsa - horseradish sauce
Crescia sfogliata - a flaky flat bread from the Marches
Crescionda - a type of cake made in Spoleto
Crescione - watercress
Crespelle – crepe, pancake
Croccanti - crisp, crunchy
Crocchette - croquettes
Crosta – crust
Crostaceo - shellfish
Crostata - tart (see torta di frutta)
Crostata di mele - apple pie
Crostatina - small tart
Crostini - small rounds of toasted Italian bread
Crostino - crouton, canape
Crudo - raw
Crusca - bran
Cruschello - is whole wheat flour
Crustole, i – citrus flavored fried ribbon cookie
Cubetto - cube
Cucchiaino – teaspoon, teaspoonful
Cucchiaio – spoonful, tablespoonful (cucchiaiata-spoonful)
Cucchiaio colmo - teaspoonful
Cucchiaio da portata - serving spoon
Cucina frullatore - food processor (see also- robot da cucina, tritatutto elettrico)
Cucinare, cuocere – to cook
Cucinare a vapore - to steam
Cuciniere,a - the cook
Cucinotto - a small kitchen, a cooking corner
Cucunci - caper in Sicilian (see also cappero)
Cucuzza (Gooogootz -slang) - elongated Italian squash
Culaccio - posterior parts of the butchered animal that does not include the thigh or leg
Culatello - a lean raw ham that has been soaked in wine and cured, also a fine pork sausage
Culinaria - cuisine
Culingiones - Sardinian ravioli
Culitello - very lean prosciutto
Cumino - cumin
Cuoco,a - chef
Cuore - heart
Curare – to look after
Curcuma - turmeric
Cutelloccia - a sealed terracotta pot used for braising meat
Cuscussu`- couscous is granular semolina
Dadetti- small dice
Dado,i – dice, a stock cube (i.e. yeast) (tagliare a dadi - to dice)
Dadolata - chopped vegetables, meat or bread
Dattero, i - date fruit
Decorticare - to shell, to remove the bark
Denocciolate - pitted (verb - denocciolare)
Dentata - bites
Dente - dandelion
Dentice - sea bream
Detorsolare - remove the core
Diacciare - glazed, frozen, glace`
Diaccio - cooled
Diavolillo - a very hot chili pepper
Diavuliddi - a red chili pepper
Difare, disfarsi – to fall to pieces, to melt (disfate – you all melt)
Digeribile - digestible
Digrassare – skim the fat off (sgrassare)
Diliscate - boned (see also disossare, spinare)
Dilvire - to thin down (see also stecchire)
Disfare - split open
Disossare – to bone (disossatelo – you all debone it)(see also diliscate, spinare)
Dispensa - pantry, sideboard, larder
Disporre – to place, put (disponile- put them)
Dissalare - disalinate
Dissughi - to dry out by loosing its juices
Ditalini - pasta the size of a thimble like a small cylinder
Dolce – sweet, dessert
Dolcificante – sweetener
Donzelline - a flat bread that is made in a fry pan
Dorare - to brown
Doratura - browning
Dose, dosi – amount, measure
Dragare - to dredge
Dragoncello – tarragon
Durello - is chicken stomach
Ebollizione - boiling, bring to a boil
Emmental - Emmenthal is a medium hard yellow cheese of Switzerland
Eperlano – smelt fish
Erba cipollina – chive
Erbaggi – greens
Erba persa - marjoram (Genovese dialect), maggiorana
Erba porcina - burdock root, it is an herb used for flavoring and also used in salads
Erbe spontanee - herbs that spring up without cultivation
Erbette - beet greens or tops
Espresso - dark, strong coffee made by forcing steam through finely ground Italian roast coffee
Essenza d`aglio- garlic oil
Essenza di menta - peppermint oil
Essenza di vaniglia -vanilla extract
Essiccare - to dry, to drain
Essiccati - dried, desicated
Estrarre - take out from, extract
Eviscerare - to clean out the interiors of a cavity. i,e, chicken, fish.
Facoltativo - optional
Fagiano, Fagianella - pheasant
Fagiolino – string bean
Fagiolo, Fagiuolo – bean
Fagioli, fagiuoli sgranati – shelled beans
Fagotto - bundle (fagottini - small bundle)
Falda - a layer
Faldina - thin layer
Faraona - guinea hen
Farcia - stuffing
Farcire – to stuff, to fill (farciscile- stuff it with them)(ripieno)
Farcitura - stuffing
Farfalle – pasta made in shape of butterfly
Farina – flour
Farina con W alto - flour with the strength to absorb "W". The higher the W number the more it absorbs. 0 to 00 flours are about 200 - 250 W.
Farina di avena - oat flour
Farina di castagne -chestnut flour
Farina di Ceci - chickpea flour
Farina di dolci - pastry flour
Farina di frumento - wheat or corn flour
Farina di grano duro, Farina da Pane - bread flour
Farina di grano saraceno - buckwheat flour
Farina di grano tenero tipo 00 - all purpose double zero (00) flour
Farina di mandorle - almond flour
Farina di mais - corn flour
Farina di riso - rice flour
Farina di soia - soy flour
Farina d`orzo - barley flour
Farina d`Ungheria – a flour of fine grain used commercially
Farina glutinata -gluten flour
Farina integrale - whole wheat flour
Farina multiuso - all purpose wheat flour
Farina 00 - double zero flour
Farina privo di glutine - gluten free
Farina semplice - plain flour that has no raising agent
Farinata - Italian chickpea (Garbanzo bean) flatbread
Fascio - a bunch
Fasolari - large, hard clams
Fava – broad beans
Fecola - potato starch, potato flour
Fegato – liver
Fegato di pollo - chicken liver
Fegatino- small liver (chicken, pigeon, etc.)
Fermento - ferment, yeast (lievito)
Ferrazzuoli - (see also maccheroni al ferro or busiati) - semolina pasta shaped around an iron or wood rod.
Ferri – refers to cooking on something that is iron (ai ferri – to barbecue)
Ferricelli - a durum wheat pasta that is shaped into a spiral about 2 inches long
Ferri del mestiere – tools of the trade
Fesa - rump of veal
Fesa di tacchino - a rump of turkey
Fetta, e- slice, slices
Fettucini – (fettucce-1/2”, fettuccelle-1/8 “) long flat ribbon shaped pasta about 3/8” inch wide
Fettunta - country bread
Fico, fichi – fig, figs
Fico d' India - prickly pear
Fieno - hay
Filetto – fillet
Filoncino – small loaf (filoncino di pane – small loaf of bread) also a bread stick
Filtrare - to filter
Finferli - chanterelle mushrooms
Fiocchi - flakes
Finocchietti - fennel frawns
Finocchietto - wild fennel
Finocchio – fennel
Finocchiona - a pork salami/sausage made with fennel seed, chianti, and garlic then aged
Finocchio novellino - wild fennel
Fiochetti – bowtie shaped egg pasta
Fiochetto - flake, or bow, piece
Fiocchi di latte - cottage cheese
Fior de latte (fiordilatte)- a buffalo or cows milk mozzarella with a softer interior (a pasta filata cheese)
Fiore di sardo - a firm sheeps milk (pecorino) cheese from Sardegna
Fioretto - finely ground corn meal
Fiori di Sicilia - an orange and citrus flavoring liquid
Fiori di zucca - zucchini flowers
Fiorire - to flour
Flan - flan
Flute -stem glass used for spumanti and champagne
Focaccia - Italian bread made in a sheet pan (also called Pitta in Calabria)
Foderare - to line with something
Foglie di verza - savoy cabbage
Foglio - leaf (foglioline - small leaf)
Foglio di alloro – bay leaf
Foglio d`alluminio - aluminum foil (see carta stagnola)
Foglio di cappero - caper leaf
Foglio di pellicola - plastic wrap
Fogliolo tripe (centopelle) - sperical and multi layered tripe from the omasum stomach of the cow
Fondere - to melt
Fondina, e - soup plate
Fonduta - fondue
Fontina - soft flavorful cheese from cows or sheep milk
Foquazza - is a focaccia that is stuffed with vegetables and cheese from Matera
Forare – to pierce, make a hole in, puncture
Forbice da cucina – kitchen scissors
Forchetta- fork
Formaggiera - serving dish for grated cheese
Formaggio – cheese
Formaggio tipo feta - feta cheese
Formato - flan
Fornaio - a baker
Fornello - a gas burner on a stove
Forno statico - preheated oven
Fortunella- Kumquat
Frangia - fringe
Frangipane - sweet almond cream filling
Fragola, e (Fregula) – strawberry
Frattagliaio – vendor of giblets
Frattaglie – giblets, all the minute things and the insides of butchered animals
Fregnacce - a pasta dish similiar to lasagne made with sheet pasta, meat and cheese from Abruzzo
Fregola - a product like couscous made from semolina in the from of small beads
Fremere - to simmer
Freselle - a salty bread biscuit from southern Italy
Friabile - crumbly
Friarelli - slightly bitter thin green pepper
Friarielli - (see Rapini, Broccoli di Rapa) a bitter green
Fricassea - fricassee
Frico - a crisp pancake made with montasio cheese
Friggere- to fry, saute, stew (friggile – fry them)
Friggitrtice ad aria - air fryer
Friselle - a hard ring shaped bread used to put toppings on after it is softened, similar to bruchetta
Frittata – omelet
Frittella - fritter
Fritto - fried
Fritto misto - mixed fry
Frittura - fried food
Frizzare - to be fizzy
Frolla - crust
Frollino - a pastry filled with candied fruit
Frollo - short crust
Fruffella - a soup of beans, cabbage and potato
Frullato - whipped, beaten, shaken (verb - frullare), milkshake
Frullatore - blender
Frullino - whisk
Frumento - wheat
Frusta - whisk
Fumetto - anise liquore
Funghi porcini - porcini mushrooms
Fungo,ghi – mushroom
Funzione ventilata - functioning with ventilation (oven door partially opened)
Fuoco, chi - fire,stove,heat
Fuoco vivo - cook briskly
Fumetto - bubble
Fusi di pollo - chicken leg, drumstick
Fusillo, i – a spiral or corkscrew shaped pasta
Fusto - stem
Gaeta - is a meaty black olive with a distinctive flavor used in many different dishes
Galla - afloat (venire a galla - to come to the surface)
Galletta - a cracker
Gallina - chicken
Gallinella of pork - is pork tenderloin
Gamberetto - shrimp
Gambero - prawn (code di gambero - prawns with tails)
Gambo, i – stalk, stem
Gancio a foglia - pastry hook of the kitchen mixing machine
Garganelli - pasta tube about 3 inches long with light ridges
Garmugia - a meat stew from Lucca
Gastronomo - gourmet
Gateaux - a light pastry that is filled
Gelare - to freeze water
Gelatiera - ice cream machine
Gelatina - plain gelatin (see colla di pesce)
Gelato – ice cream
Gelido - icy, freezing, frosty, ice cold
Genetti - an anise cookie
Germe di grano - wheat germ
Germogli - bean sprouts
Gettare - to toss
Getto di acqua - stream or jet of water
Ghee - clarified butter
Gheriglio - kernel, chip
Ghiaccio – ice
Ghicciolo - icicle, ice lolly pop
Ghiera dentata - dial on the pasta machine
Ghiotto,a,i - delicious
Ghisa - cast iron
Giardiniera - mixed pickled vegatables
Girarrosto - a spit
Girasole - sunflower
Girello (Magatello) - cut of meat from posterior parts of leg or thigh of beef or veal, round steak
Giugiolena (see also semi di sesamo) - sesame seeds
Giuntura,e - joint
Glassa – icing, glaze
Glassare - to ice, to glaze
Glassate - glazed
Glutinica - glutin
Gnocchi – rolled pastas made from flour and potato
Gnocchi dolci - gnocchi made with chestnut flour
Goccetto – small drop
Goccio, a - drop, spot or bead
Gocciolo - dripping
Golosa - greedy for, delicious
Gombo - okra
Gommoso - rubbery
Gonfiare - to fill
Gonfio - swollen
Gorgonzola - creamy cows milk cheese with bluish green streaks
Gradimento – satisfaction
Gramigna, e - a short thin curled strand of pasta in a half circle with one end curled.
Grana -a hard cheese from any Italian region used for grating like Parmigiano or Grana Padana
Granchio- crab
Granella di cucunci - caper grains
Granella di nocciole - grains of hazelnut
Granite (see also Cremolate) - soft ices
Grano Arso - a hand made pasta that is made with burnt or toasted wheat flour
Grano cotto - cream of wheat
Granseola - spider crab
Granturco - corn
Grappa - liquor made by distilling the wine musk
Grasso - fatty (food)
Gratella - a grill, or cooling rack
Graticola - grill
Gratinare - to cook au gratin
Grattugia - grater
Grattugiare – to grate
Greggio (Grezzo) - means raw, unrefined,unbleached
Grembiule - apron
Gremolata - a sauce made from parsley, garlic and lemon zest
Griglia - grilled
Grigliatore - grill person
Grissino - bread-stick
Grolla - a multiple spouted wooden cup
Grondanti - drippings
Groppa - back or rear of an animal
Grossolano - course
Grumi - clots, lumps
Guaina - sheath
Guanciale - pork cut from the pigs cheek and jowls that is salted and dryed
Guanto da forno - oven glove
Guarnire – to garnish
Guarnizione - garnish or trimming
Guastare - to spoil
Guava - a pashion fruit from Hawaii
Guazzettos di manzo - cubed meat stew
Guscio- the shell (i.e. egg, mollusk, nut)
Gustare - to taste, to enjoy
Imbastire - to baste (see also inumidire, ungere)
Imbiondire – to become opaque, to brown
Imbottire - to stuff, to fill
Imburrato - buttered
Immaturo - unripe
Immergere - to immerse (immergetelo - immerse it)
Immischiate - mixed up
Impanare - to dip or roll in breadcrumbs
Impanato - breaded
Impanatura - breadcrumbs
Impastare – to knead, mix
Impastatrice - a kitchen mixer (i.e.Kitchenaide)
Impasto - dough
Incamara - to take in
Incavare – to hollow out
Incidere- cut into, carve
Incoperchiate - uncovered
Incrociare- to cross, to intersect
Indivia - endive, a variety of chicory
Indivia belga - Belgian endive
Indolcire - to make sweet
Indorare - to dip in egg yolk
Indurire - to harden, stiffen (induriscano - they harden)
Infarinare – to dip in flour (infarinale- dip them in flour)
Infarcire - to fill with, to stuff with
Infilare - to insert (infilatela - you all insert it)
Infiocchettare - to tie up with ribbons
Infittire - to thicken
Infornare- to put in the oven (infornale –put them in the oven)
Infuso, infusione - infusion
Ingrassagio - greasing
Insalata - salad
Insalata di bollito - a salad with boiled beef
Insalata di cavolo bianco - cole slaw
Insalata rossa - radicchio or other red lettuce
Insalatiera - salad bowl
Insaporire - to flavour, to season
Inserendo - inserting
Integrale - whole wheat
Integro - intact
Intermezzi - between courses
Intero - whole
Intiepidire- to make lukewarm or tepid
Intingere - to dip
Intingolo- sauce, tasty dish
Intinto - dipped, immerse in liquid
Intrecciare - to braid
Intridere- soak
Intriso – roux (all purpose flour or potato flour and fat- mixture)
Inumidire - to baste (see also ungere, imbastire), to moisten, to dampen
Involtini - small bundles, roulades
Involto - to bundle
Inzuppare – to soak (see bagnare)
Iogurt - yogurt
Ippoglosso - halibut fish
Irrorare – to bathe
Isciogliere - to melt, dissolve, thaw (see sciogliere)
Istaccio – examine carefully
Jota - a cranberry bean and sauerkraut soup made in Fruili-Venezia Giulia
Julienne – cut in thin strips
Kaki – persimmon
Ketchup - ketchup
Kirsch - a brandy extracted from crushed and fermented cheeries
Kno"del - a dumpling
Krapfen - dougnut
Laffettatrice - cheese or mushroom slicer or mandoline
Lagane - are wide, short tagliatelle from Basilicata (see also pappardelle)
Lama – blade (la lama del coltello- blade of the knife)
Lamella, e - thin slice
Lampascioni - small bulbs similar to shallots and cipoline
Lampone - rasberry
Lardari - large green beans
Lardatoio- cooking instrument to lard meat
Lardellare – to lard
Lardo - fat, lard
Lardone - wide piece of lard
Larghe un dito - a fingerwidth
Lasagne – large flat pasta noodles about 3 inches wide; usually with curly edges
Latte – milk
Latte di Gallina - egg nog
Latte di mandorle - almond milk
Latte di soia - soy milk
Latte intero - full cream milk
Latte magro - skimmed milk
Latte parzialmente scremato - partially skimmed milk
Latte pastorizzato - pasteurized milk
Latte scremato - skimmed milk
Latteria - dairy
Latticello - buttermilk
Lattosio - lactose
Lattuga - lettuce
Latticino – dairy products
Lavanda - lavender
Lavare- to wash
Lavarello - a fish found in the sea or large lakes in the salmon family
Lavello - kitchen sink
Lavorazione - kneading, working
Leccarda - dripping pan
Lectina - lectin
Legare - to truss i.e. poultry also to make a sauce more dense
Leggera - mild or light
Leggero - light in weight
Legnoso – stiff, woody
Legume - vegetable
Lembi - strips
Lembo - hem
Lenticchia – lentil
Lepre – hare (coniglio)
Lessare – to boil (lessale – boil them) (lessartelo – You all boil it)
Lesso – boiled, boiled beef (manzo)
Levare – to remove ( levatela – remove it)
Levatorsoli - corer
Liceo - smooth, straight, plain
Lievita - it rises
Lievitare - to rise
Lievito- yeast, fermento, pasta madre
Lievito di birra – yeast or brewers yeast
Lievito in polvere – baking powder. 1 small envelope (bustina di lievito) equals 16 grains (gr)
Lievito per dolci - baking powder for desserts
Limonata - lemonade
Limone – lemon
Limoncello - lemon liquore
Limoncino verde- lime
Lingua - tongue
Lingua di gato - an oval shaped cookie that looks like a cats tongue
Liofilizzato - freeze dried
Liquido - runny
Liquido di governo - brining liquid
Liquirizia - liquorice
Lisca, lische - fish bone,s
Liscio,a - smooth
Liscivia - food grade lye (see soda caustica purissima)
Lista - a menu
Listerelle - strips
Livellare - to level
Locatelli – brand of romano cheese (Locatelli Romano)
Locena - a cut of veal that runs from the tip of the breasts to the shoulder
Lombata – loin
Lombo (Lanza di maiale) - cut of meat from the loin (carre')
Lonza - loin of pork
Losa - a creamy cheese from Piedmount area
Losanghe - diamond shape (cut for a cookie)
Lucanica - a cured pork sausage from Trentino made with fennel seeds and chili powder
Luccio - pike fish
Lucidatele - coat them to shine
Luganeghe - a pork sausage mild or hot depending on the region that is made throughout Italy in long coils and sold by the meter
Luganiga - a type of sausage from a region in northern Italy
Luccio - a delicate tasting, boney, fresh water fish
Lumache - snails
Lunetta - a utensile that has a shape of a half moon for cutting or chopping
Lupini fagiolo - honey colored bean used in soups and stews
Maccheroni al ferro (ferretto) - handmade semolina pasta made by rolling over a thin stick of wood or metal (see also ferrazzuoli or busiati)
Macchiato - coffee with a dash of milk or liqour
Macedonia - fruit salad
Macellaio - a butcher
Macellare - to butcher
Macelleria - butcher shop
Macerare - to marinate, to macerate
Macinacaffe - coffee grinder or mill
Macinacarne - meat grinder
Macinapeppe - pepper mill
Macinare - to grind, to mince
Macinando - grinding (macinandole - grinding them)
Macinata - a grind
Macinato - a mince, minced meat
Magatello - see Girello
Maggiorana – marjorem (wild oregano), see also Erba Persa
Magro – lean , thin
Maiale – pig, pork
Maionese – mayonnaise
Mais - corn
Maizena - cornstarch, corn flour
Malastre - mountain pansies that are used in soups
Malfatti - a spinach riccotta gnocchi from Lombardia
Malgarano - pomegranate (Carthaginian apple)
Malloredous - a pasta made with saffron and semolina rolled into a rope shape and cut 1 1/8 inches long from Sardegnia
Malta - mortar
Maltagliati - a pasta that is cut in an irregular similar forms
Malto - malt
Manata - handful (see also Manciata)
Manchego - sheep milk table cheese made in different textures
Manciata - handful (see also Manata)
Manciatina - small handful
Mandarini - tangerines, mandarin oranges
Mandilli di sea - (means silk hankerchiefs) is a light, soft, square or retangular shaped home made pasta
Mandorla,e – almond (also called Amelle in Basilicata)
Maneggiato - mixed with, worked with
Mangiucchiare - to nibble
Maniche - a semolina (durum wheat) ridged pasta 20 mm long and 19.2 mm in diameter
Manicotto, i - tube shaped noodles or crepe stuffed with meat or cheese mixtures.
Mantecare - to knead together various ingredients to form a well mixed dough, to make creamy
Mantecato - creamy also a type of ice cream (Mantecato di nocciola) also a fish dish (Baccala` mantecato)
Manzo - beef
Mappatelle - a crepe that is made in the shape of a kerchief and stuffed with a thin pasta and cheese etc.
Mappina,e – dishcloth
Margarina - margarine
Marinare - to marinate
Marinato - marinated
Marinatura,e - the marinade
Marmellata – jam, jelly, preserves
Marrone,i - sweet chestnut
Marsala - sweet wine fortified with alcohol used in cooking and as apertif
Mascarpone - creamy white cheese made from cows milk used in creams and cakes etc
Massaggiate - to massage
Matterello - rolling pin, a cylinder of wood used to lay out fresh pasta
Maturo - ripe
Mazzancolle - shrimp, prawns
Mazzetto – a wisp
Mazzetto aromatico - bouquet garni, a mixture of different herbs tied together or put into a cheese cloth bag, i.e. sage, rosmary, thyme, juniper berries, cloves, garlic etc. etc.. They are placed into different dishes while cooking to give flavor.
Medesime - the same portion
Mela - apple
Melanzana, i – eggplant
Mele cotogne - quince
Melissa - lemon scented herb leaf or oil
Melograno, melograna - pomegranate (see also malgarano)
Melone - melon
Melone ananes- melon with the aroma of pineapple
Melone retato degli ortolani - netted melon with sweet orange flesh often served with prosciutto
Menta pepperita – peppermint (see also Mentine) (carmella alla menta –sweet peppermint)
Menta verde - spearmint
Mentuccia - see Nepitella, Nipitella
Merenda - afternoon snack
Merguez - a spicy lamb or beef sausage
Merluzzo - cod fish
Merveille de piemonte - snap bean that is slightly curved 5 to 7 inches long
Merveille di Venezia - yellow flat bean about 10 inches long
Mescolare – to mix
Mescolanza - mixture
Mestolo – ladle (acucchiarella), large handled wood spoon
Mezzaluna – crescent shaped chopping knife
Mezzanelli - a short tube pasta made with durum wheat
Mezza panna - light cream
Microonde - microwave
Midolla – drenched or soaking wet (midolla di pane – wet bread)
Midollo di bue – beef or ox bone marrow
Miglio - millet
Mignon zucchini con fiori - young zucchini with flower attached
Millefoglie di crema - dessert with sheets of dough with layers of cream
Mitilo - mussel (see also Muscolo)
Mitonnee – to cook slowly (French but found in Italian cook book)
Miele – honey (the only food that never spoils)
Milza - the spleen
Minestra - soup
Minutaglie - small amounts
Mirtillo - blueberry, bilberry, wortleberry
Mirto - myrtle is a purple berry found in Sardinia used to make liqueurs and flavor roasted meat
Miscelare - to mix, to blend
Miscela - mixture
Miscuglio - mixture
Miskiglio - (Miscuglio) - a pasta made with the flours of chickpea, favabeen,semolina and barley from Basilicata
Misticanza - mixed little greens
Misto - mixed
Misura, in - to an extent
Misurare - to measure
Mo` - a like tecnique, by way of
Moca - mocha coffee
Moccetta - cured beef, goat, lamb meat made in similar manner as prosciutto
Molle - soft (i.e. bread, cheese) see Morbido
Mollica di pane – breadcrumb (see also pangrattato –breadcrumbs)
Mondare - to shell, to peel, to clean
Mondo - cleaned (vegetables), peeled (fruit, potatoes)
Monk fish - a good mild tasting fish with meaty white flesh
Monsu - a sicilian chef
Montare - to whip, to whisk, to assemble
Montare a neve - to whisk until stiff
Montasio - creamy cows milk cheese from Friuli Venezia Giula
Mora - blackberry
Morbido,a – soft, tender (see Molle)
Mormore - a long silver fish similar to pagello
Mortadella – a smoked sausage made from ground pork and beef and cubes of pork fat
Mortaio - mortar
Monte Baldo - cows milk cheese from Trentino Alto Adige
Moscardini - horned and musky octopuses
Moscato - a wine made from moscato grapes with a color that ranges from white, yellow, pink to near black
Mosciame - salt cured tuna loin
Mostaccioli – Medium size tubes with angle cut ends.
Mostarda – mustard (see senape)
Mostarda di frutta - spicy mustard and fruit preserve
Mousse - mousse
Mozzare - to cut by hand (as done with mozzarella)
Mozzarella – moist curd cheese made from cow or buffalo (di bufala)
Mucchio - pile
Mucchietto - small pile
Muggine – mullet
Mungere - to milk, munto - milked
Muscari - bulb of wild hyacinth
Muscolo - mussel (see also Mitilo)
Musetto - a pork sausage made in part from pigs snout
Nasello - European hake fish
Nastro - ribbon
'Ncartati (see also pergamena) - parchment paper
Nduja - spreadable salami like product made with fatty smoked pork and red peppers
Neole - a filled pastry made with flour, chocolate, anisette, espresso and almonds
Nepitella, Nipitella - also named Mentuccia - green herb found in Italy with a flavor that is a cross between mint and fresh oregano
Nervetti - tendons from veal or beef hoofs
Nettare – to clean (nettare i funghi – clean the mushrooms) (nettateli - clean them), nectar
Nocciola, e - hazelnut
Noce, i - walnut
Noce di burro – knob of butter
Noce di cocco – coconut
Noce moscata - nutmeg
Nuccia di Limone- grated lemon peel
Nudilla - (rosamarina, nonnata, bianchetti) baby anchovies and sardines
Nutella - chocolate hazelnut spread
Obliquo,a - slanting
Oca – goose
Odore – herb (i.e. odore di noce moscata – herb of nutmeg)
Odore di fritto - smell of frying
Odori- carrots, celery, onion, garlic, parsley finely chopped and sauté’ in olive oil
Olandese - hollandaise
Olio- oil
Olio di arachide - peanut oil
Olio di girasole - sunflower oil
Olio di gomito - elbow grease
Olio di palma - palm oil
Olio di semi - seed oil i.e. peanut,canola,soy,sunflower
Olio santo - oil infused with spicy chili peppers
Olio di soia - soy oil
Oliva – olive
Ombrina - large Mediterranean fish similar to sea bass, it can be fried or breaded
Omelette - omelette
Omogeneo, a –homogeneous
Oncia - ounce
Orata - sea bream, gilthead bream, John Dory fish
Orcio - pitcher, jug
Orecchiette – curved rounds of pasta that resemble ears
Origano – oregano
Ortaggio- vegetable (see also verdura)
Orto - vegetable garden
Orzo - barley, a tiny pasta that looks like long rice grains
Osso - bone
Ossobuco - large slice of lean meat from the shinbone of beef cow with a adjacent section of marrow bone.
Ostrica, Ostriche – oyster, oysters
Ostriche Americane - clams
Ovoli – type of mushroom (royal agaric)
Paccheri - a wide tube pasta about 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter a little less than 2 inches long that looks like an oversize rigatoni
Pachini - tiny red cherry tomatoes from Sicily
Padella – frying pan
Pagello – bream fish
Pagnotelle – small round loafs
Pagnottine - small rounds of bread or pizza dough
Pagnotta- loaf, loaf of bread
Paillard - thin slice of veal or chicken
Pajata - intestines of an unweaned calf in which the chyme is left inside.
Paletta di silicone - pastry spatula
Palline argentate - (silver dragees) a cake decoration, small sugar balls coated with silver (a toxic metal) only for decorating.
Pallottola,e - ball that is formed
Pampanella - goat cheese made in Abruzzo or cows milk cheese made in Puglia that are similiar to ricotta.
Pancarre'- bread that has the crust removed (i.e. club sandwich)
Pancetta – unsmoked bacon
Panchetta tesa - means dryed or tightened and refers to panchetta in the form of large salami
Pancotto – cooked bread
Pan di zucchero - sugar loaf (chicory)
Pane - bread
Pane carasau - a Sardinian flat bread
Pane di cereali - grain bread
Pane di grano duro - bread made with bread flour
Pane di segale – rye bread
Panelle - is a chick pea fritter
Pane raffermo - stale bread
Panetto - a block (i.e. of cheese)
Panettone, Pane de oro, pandoro - cake made with raisens, candied fruit, around Christmas
Panettone elastico - elastic dough
Pangiallo - golden christmas bread
Pangrattato – breadcrumbs
Panino - roll
Panissa - a chickpea puree or a rice and bean dish
Panmelati - a honey orange crumb cookie
Panna – cream
Panna acida - sour cream
Panna cotta - means cooked cream, it is a light, silky egg custard
Panna cucina - double cream
Panna fresca - heavy whipping cream
Panna grassa - heavy cream
Panna liquida - cream
Panna montata - whipped cream
Pan di spagna - sponge cake
Pannicolo - fat under the skin
Panno, i – cloth
Pansooti – pasta like ravioli but larger
Pansotti - triangular shaped stuffed pasta
Panure - French bread crumbs
Panzarotto,i - large ravioli filled with prosciutto and cheese, it can also be filled and fried in oil
Papacelle - (pepaine) pickled red peppers
Pappardelle – long medium wide pasta with curly edges ¾ inch wide (Pappare means to gobble up)
Paprica – paprika
Paprica affumicata - smoked paprika
Pareggiare - to level (pareggiatelo - level it)
Parmigiano – parmesan cheese (Reggiano, Grana padana)
Parrozzoo - chocolate bread
Parte, i - part(s)
Pasatelli - a pasta similar to a pastina used in soups formed by grating the dough over the larger holes of the grater
Passapomodoro - tomato crusher/grinder/strainer
Passare - to drop in, to pass
Passare di cottura - to be overdone
Passatelli - a paste of bread crumbs and parmesan cheese formed into spaghetti-like pieces
Passatello - fresh food mold in the form of a small cylinder
Passato - mashed
Passato di verdure - vegetable pure'
Passatutto - vegetable mill
Passaverdura - vegetable mill, masher, ricer, grinder
Passera, Pianuzza – halibut fish, flounder
Passerino – flounder
Passino - strainer (see also colino)
Pasta da pane - store bought dough to make bread or focaccia
Pasta di mandorle – marzipan
Pasta filata - Italian stretched curd cheeses i.e. mozzarella, provolone, caciocavallo
Pasta foglia - puff pastry
Pasta Frolla - pastry dough
Pasta madre - bread starter or poolish
Pastasciutta – dried pasta
Pasta spianata - rolled dough, dough flattened with a rolling pin
Pastella - batter
Pasticciere - pastry maker, confectioner
Pasticcino - petit four
Pasticcini ripieni - (see also Bigne' alla panna) - cream puffs
Pasticcio – pie, pastry
Pasticcio di carne – pate’
Pasticciotti - custard pastry from Lecce
Pastina – small pasta shapes used in soups
Pastinaca,che - parsnip (s)
Pasto- lung of animal (see Polmone)
Patata – potato
Patatina - french fries, crisps
Patate novelle - new potatoes
Pecorino – sheeps milk cheese (pecorino romano)
Pecorino pepato - Sicilian sheeps milk cheese with black peppercorns
Pelapatate - potato peeler
Pelare - to peel, to skin, to pluck
Pellicola - film
Pellicola alimenti - food wrap
Pellicola trasparente - plastic wrap
Pellitory - a wild herb used for its medicinal properties
Penne - small tubular pasta with ridges
Penne liesche - penne pasta with smooth sides
Pennellare - to paint, to brush
Pennello - brush for basting
Pennoni - large penne pasta
Pentola – pot
Pentola a pressione - pressure cooker
Pentola per cottura a vapore - food steamer
Pentolino – small sauce pan
Pepare - to pepper
Pepate - season with pepper (plural form of you)
Pepe bianco - white pepper
Pepe creola - spicy black, white, red, green peppercorns
Pepe della giamaica - allspice
Pepe di cayenna - cayenne pepper
Pepe garofanato - pimento
Pepe nero - black pepper
Pepe nero in grani - black pepper corns
Peperoncino, i or Pepperoncino rosso picante- red chili peppers 2 to 3 inches long, seed red pepper
Peperone rosso – red (sweet) pepper
Pepone - a spicy pepper relish from Puglia
Pepperoni - salami made with pork and beef and black and red pepper
Pellicola trasparente - plastic wrap
Penne - feathers
Pera – pear
Perciatelli – long pasta like spagetti with a hole in the middle
Pergamena (see also 'ncartati)- parchment paper
Pesca – peach
Pesce - fish
Pesce persico – perch fish
Pesce spada - swordfish
Pestare- to crush (i.e. aglio, peppe)
Pesto - sauce made from various herbs i.e. basil, parsley, arugula, spinach, with cheese,nuts, and olive oil
Pettine - sea scallop
Pettinella - (means little comb) a fine pointed tool used to puncture stuffed sausage casing to remove trapped air
Petto – breast
Petuccia - a processed minced meat made of mutten, beef and spices
Peverada - Lugania sausage
Piacentinu - a raw sheep's milk cheese scented with safron and studded with peppercorns from Scicily
Piadina - classic flat bread from Emilia- Romagna
Piastra - hot plate of a stove top
Piatto forte - main dish
Piattoni - a flat shaped green or white bean
Piave stravecchio - a hard straw colored cows milk cheese with a slightly sweet intense flavor
Piccante - spicy hot, spicy
Picciolo - stalk
Pici - long pasta about 1/2 inch wide that is twisted
Piede di porco - pigs trotter (foot)
Piegare - to fold (piegatelo - you fold it)
Pietanza - course, dish
Pietra - a foundation ( pietra di vitella - foundation of veal) (pietra - means stone)
Pigiare- to press, to pack (like sardine), to tread (i.e. uva)
Pimento - pimento, allspice
Pinne - fish fins
Pinocate - an orange flavored irregular shaped pinenut cookie
Pinoli - pine nuts
Pinta, e - pint
Pinzette - tweezers
Pioppini - a cluster mushroom similar to chiodini with dark brown tops
Piovra – octopus (polipo, polpo)
Pirofila - heat-resistant dish
Pirottino - ramekin
Pisello,i - pea
Pistacchio - pistachio nut
Pistadein - tiny dense pasta about the size of a rice grain
Pizzelle - a five inch flat round cookie wafer made with a special iron that imprints it with a design
Pizzico, chi – pinch, dash (pizzicone - large pinch)
Pizzoccheri - a dark colored pasta made mostly from buckwheat flour that is usually cut into 1/2 inch wide strips
Placca - plate
Planetaria - an instrument that beat or whips
Platessa - a flat fish similar to flounder or sole found around the Mediterranean
Poco cotto – rare
Polenta – a mush made from cornmeal
Polipo, polpo – octopus (piovra)
Pollame - poultry
Pollastro - young hen
Pollo – chicken
Polmone – lung (see Pasto)
Polpa,o - pulp, flesh or lean meat
Polpastrelli - fingertips
Polpetta di carne – meat ball
Polpettone - meat loaf
Polpo - octopus (see polipo)
Polvarones - a round cookie with a fig glaze
Polvere- powder
Polvere di cappero - caper powder
Pomata - cream, ointment
Pomodori perini - plum tomatoes
Pomodorini ciliegia - cherry tomatoes
Pomodoro – tomato
Pomodoro costoluto - tomato with prominent external ribs
Pomodori rimati - tomatoes sold in stores still connected by tomato branch
Pompelmo - grapefruit
Ponce - punch
Ponendole- (from the word porre) putting them
Porchetta - small, boneless pork roast that has been cooked long in an oven or on a spit
Porchini - porchini mushroom
Porro - leek
Portata - course
Porzione - serving
Posa- laying (posale- laying them)
Posate - cutlery
Potate
Poveracce - a clam from the region of Emilia-Romagna
Pralinare - to cover or garnish with a crust of chocolate or carmelized sugar
Pranzo - lunch
Praticare - to make or to cut, pierce or bore
Preboggion - a combination of Ligurian cooking herbs and plants that are sold in bunches
Preive - rectangles of seasoned pork rind
Prelessare - to parboil
Prelevare - to withdraw
Prelibato - delicious
Premere – to press (premendoli – pressing them
Preparativo, i – preparation
Preriscaldato - preheated
Presa di sale - pinch of salt
Prescegliere - to select, to choose (prescelto is past tense)
Pressato di Merano - a salt brined cows milk cheese that is aged up to 2 years
Prezzemolo - parsley
Prima piatta - first course
Primavera - means springtime and refers to adding fresh vegetables to pasta, meat, and fish dishes etc.
Privare – to deprive of (private del gambo – remove the stems)
Proceddu - Sardegnian roast suckling pig
Procurare - to manage, obtain, cause, grab, get hold of
Profiterole - semi-hollow pastry ball that is filled with cream or chocolate used for cream puffs
Profumate - you flavor lightly
Prosciugare - to dry up (see also risecchire)
Prosciutto – raw cured ham (prosciutto crudo)
Prosciutto affumicato – smoked prosciuto
Prosciutto di San Daniele - is a lightly sweet, pink raw cured ham from Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Prosciutto di Parma - is a lightly sweet, raw cured ham from Parma
Prosciutto di Carpegna - is a light, sweet, pink raw cured ham from Carpegna
Proseco - aromatic sparkling white dry or sweet wine
Pressare - to press (pressateli -press them)
Proteina, proteico,a,ci che -protein
Provetto - skilled
Provola - (pasta filata) a very mild soft, thick, firm cheese stretched and shaped into rounds made from cows milk or buffalo milk
Provola affumicata - a smoked Provola
Provolone – full fat cows milk cheese made into different shapes
Prugne – plum
Prugna, viola- Italian purple plum (Santa Rosa plum)
Pugno – handful (un pugno di – a handful of )
Pulire - to clean (Pulito- cleaned or wiped clean)
Pummarola - a tomato sauce made with Montasio cheese and pomodoro tomatoes
Pungere - to prick (i.e. a roast) pungetelo -you all prick it
Puntarelle - a variety of chicory with serrated leaves used in salads and soups
Punta di - pinch
Punta di petto - brisket
Pure - purre
Pure`di patate – mashed potatoes
Q.B. – quanto basta – a quantity that you feel is enough
Quadretti, quadrucci - little squares of pasta used in soups
Quaglia - quail
Quagliata - a soured-milk product from Liguria
Quartirolo - sweet soft cows milk cheese similar to Stacchino from Lombardia
Rabarbaro - rubarb
Raccogliere- to bring together, assemble, collect or fold
Raddopiare - to double
Raddoppiato - doubled
Raddoppio - doubling
Radiatore – short , chunky pasta shapes that look like tiny radiators with wavy edges
Radicchio – red leafed chicory used as a vegetable or in a salad. Treviso - long narrow leaf, Verona is a round leaf ball,Chioggia is a round ball with red and white veins,Castelfranco is a ball shaped with yellowish cream leafs with speckles,Tardiva is crispy and flavorful,Puntarelle see under Puntarelle.
Radice di prezzemolo - root of a variety of parsley
Radicchio di campo - a wild green with small leaves
Rafano – horseradish
Raffermo – stale (pane raffermo – stale bread)
Raffinare - to refine
Raffreddare - to cool, cool down
Rambasicci - beef or pork stuffed savoy cabbage bundles also called stuffed cabbage
Ramerino - rosemary (see rosmarino)
Rametto – small branch (Ramo – branch)
Ramaiuolo, ramaiolo – ladleful
Rammorbidire - to make soft or softer (rammorbidendolo - making it softer)
Rana pescatrice - monk fish (angler fish)
Ranzico - chestnut honey
Rapa - a turnip
Rapanello, ravanello - radish
Rapini – another name for broccoli rabe, and friarielli
Raschiare - to scrape off
Raso, a - a level (rasa di farina - level of flower)
Raspadura - kitchen rasp, zester
Rassodare – to harden, firm up
Ravanello - radish
Ravioli – egg pasta traditionally filled with ricotta cheese
Ravisse - turnip greens
Razza – skate fish
Reale di vitello - cut of veal below the nape of the neck
Reblec - a soft fresh white cream cheese
Recipiente – container
Recomporre - to recompose (ricomponetele - put them back together)
Reggere – to withstand (Regga al fuoco – it withstands the fire)
Regolandoli - put them on the stove
Rene, i - kidney (s) (see also rognone)
Restante - the rest of them, remaining
Restringere - to cook down, to thicken, concentrate, shrink (restretto - past tense)
Rettangolo - right angled, rectangle
Rhum - rum liquor
Ribes- red or black currant (uva sultanina)
Ribollito – bean soup from Tuscany (ribollire – to bubble, to boil again)
Riccamente - richly
Ricavare – obtain, extract (ricavane - extract from it)
Ricci del mare - sea urchin
Ricciola - amberjack fish
Ricco - rich (adjective)
Ricetta - recipe
Ricomporre - recompose or put back together (ricomponete - you (pl) recompose)
Ricoprire – to cover, to re-cover
Ricotta - white unsalted cheese like product made from whey alone or with whole or skim milk
Ricotta salata - dried ricotta for grating over food or made to eat sliced
Ricotta Vaccina - fresh, soft, smooth ricotta from Emilia Romagna
Ricotto - recooked, cooked again (ricuocere is the verb)
Ridurre - to reduce (ridurlo- riduce it)
Riempire - to fill (see also stuccare)
Rigaglie - giblets
Rigalimoni - an instrument used to strip off the peel of citrus fruits without taking off the pith
Rigatoni – large, ribbed dry pasta tubes about 1/2 to 1 inch long
Righetta - cultivated arugula
Rimacinata - double ground
Rimanenze - left overs, remainder
Rimasugli - left overs
Rimboccare - to roll up
Rimestare - to mix well, stir well (rimestatela - you all mix it well)
Rimpastare - to knead again (rimpastandoli - kneading them again)
Ripiegare - to re-fold
Ripieno – stuffed, stuffing
Risalire - to rise again (risalgono - they rise again)
Riscaldare - reheat, heated, warmed, to heat up
Risciacquare - to rinse (risciacquandola - rinsing it)
Risecchire - to become dry (see also prosciugare)
Riso – rice
Riso integrale - brown rice
Riso selvatico - wild rice
Riso soffiato - puffed rice
Riso venere - small grain, aromatic black rice
Risotto – cooked rice dish usually made with arborio rice, onions, broth, cheese
Rissole - mincemeat
Ristoro - refreshment
Ritagliare - to cut out (of)
Rivestimento - covering
Rivestire - to line (as lining a pan)
Robiola - creamy, soft, aged cheese made from cows and sheep milk, or from goats milk
Robot da cucina - food processor (see tritatutto, cucina frullatore)
Rocchio - a portion
Rognone - kidney (see also rene)
Rombo - turbot
Rondella - ring metal pan, bundt cake pan
Rondelle - rounds
Rosbif, rosbiffe - roast beef
Rosetti - cheese dumplings
Rosolare - to brown, to sear
Rosolato – sauté (see Saltare)
Rosmarino – rosemary (see Ramerino)
Rosolio - sweet alcoholic liquor
Rospo - angler fish, monk fish
Rosso d`uovo – egg yolk (see also Tourlo)
Rotelle – spiral shaped pasta
Rotini – small round 6 spoked wheels of pasta
Rotolo - to bundle in the form of a cylinder
Rovente - red hot, burning
Rovesciare - to pour, to spill out, to overturn
Rubinetto - tap, faucet
Rucola- Arugula
Saba - a cooked grape musk
Sacher torte - specific type of chocolate cake with chocolate glaze and apricot preserves
Salama (Salamina) - a sausage made with various pork meat, liver, tongue and spices from Ferrara
Salamoia - brine
Salare - to salt
Salaturi - crock for aging meat
Sale – salt
Sale da cucina - cooking salt
Sale da tavola, sale fino - table salt
Sale grosso - coarse salt
Sale iposodico - low sodium salt
Sale marino fino – fine sea salt
Salmerino - fresh water bone fish
Salmone - salmon fish
Salsa di soia - soy sauce
Salsa di peverada - a chicken liver sauce
Salsiccia – sausage
Salsiccia di maiale - pork sausage (see cotechino)
Salsicciotto - a larger size sausage
Salsiera - sauce boat
Saltare – saute’(see Rosolato)
Saltimbocca - filet of veal or chicken, etc. in which a slice of ham (prosciutto) is inserted then folded or rolled (means jumps in the mouth)
Salumi - cured pork meats
Salvia - sage
Sanguinaccio - blood pudding
Santoreggia - savory
Sapidita' - flavorfull, tasty
Saporito - tasty
Saporoso - tasty
Sarass del fen - ripened ricotta cheese
Sardina - sardine
Sardoncini (acciuge)(alice) - anchovy
Savarin - a desert that is a soft ring cake
Savoiardi - Italian lady fingers
Sbattere - beat
Sbattitore - kitchen hand mixer
Sbiancare - to whiten, blanch
Sbollentare - to parboil
'Sbollentate - par boiled
Sbollire - to cool down
Sbordare - over hang (i.e. over hang the pie dough)
Sbriciolare – to crumble
Sbrinare - to defrost
Sbrisolona - a cornmeal cake
Sbuccia patate - potato peeler
Sbucciaverdura - vegatable peeler
Sbucciare – to peel, to shell, to blanch
Scaglia, e - chip (s)
Scaglie - scales of fish
Scaldare - to warm up, heat up
Scalogno – shallot
Scaloppina- escalope
Scamone - rump
Scannature - blood collected from the slaughter of an animal
Scannello - the rump
Scarmorza - air dried and smoked mozzarella cheese
Scarole - escarole
Scartare - to discard, to unwrap
Scavare- to hollow out, excavate, to dig (scavane – hollow out from them)
Scavino - food corer, (see levatorsoli)
Schiaccianoci - nut cracker
Schiacciapatate - potato ricer, masher
Schiacciare – (stiacciata) to squash, crush, mash, press (schiacci – squash them)
Sciacquatare - to rinse
Schiaffoni - a wide oval shaped semolina pasta 50 mm long 27 mm wide 1.45mm thick
Schille - gray saltwater crustaceans
Scialatelli, Scialatielli, Sciliatielli - a pasta that is similar to fettuccine but shorter that is used in making pasta with sea food ( frutti di mare)
Scimudin - a creamy sweet, soft cheese from Lombardy
Schiuma - foam, froth
Schiumare – to skim (schiumarola – skim it)
Schiumaiola, Schiumarola, Schiumaruo`la - skimmer, a ladle with holes to skim floaters off boiling liquid
Schiumoso, a - foamy, frothy
Sciaquare - to rinse
Sciogliere- to melt, dissolve, thaw (see isciogliere)(p.p.-sciolto,a)
Sciroppo - syrup
Sciroppo d`acero – maple syrup
Sciroppo di agave - agave syrup
Sciupare - to spoil, to ruin, to waste
Scodella – bowl (piatto fondo), soup plate
Scolapasta - collander (see colapasta)
Scolare- to drain (scolala – drain it)
Scondito – unseasoned, without dressing
Scongelare - to defrost
Scoperto,a - uncovered, with the lid off (verb scoprire)
Scorfano - scorpion fish
Scorporare - to remove or take off one or more parts of meat
Scorza - bark, rind, peel (see buccia)
Scorzetta - zest
Scorzonera - (goats beard) - is black salsify a nutritious root vegetable
Scottadito - small grilled t-bone lamb chops
Scottare, Scottata - to burn, to sear, to scald
Scottiglia - a dish made with a variety of meats like chicken, duck, rabbit, squab and lamb
Scotto, a - overcooked, overdone
Scremare - to skim
Scroccafusi - round cookie made with sugar, flour, eggs, anise or lemon liqueur
Scrollare - to shake
Scroppino - Italian cocktail with Proseco, lemon sorbet and mint leaves
Scudo - shield
Scungilli - is Whelk which is a large marine snail with a spiral shell
Scuocere - to overcook
Sebada - Sardegnian desert of deep fried sheep cheese with honey
Se`cole - stripes of meat from along the vertebrae of cows
Sedanino - type of cylindrical pasta with lines and curves 1 1/4 inch long and 1/4 inch in diameter
Sedano – celery
Sedano nero - special dark green celery
Sedano rapa - celeriac, root of a special celery
Seghettato - serrated
Selvatico,a,ci,che - wild ( i.e. asparagi selvatici - wild asparagus)
Semi di anice – Anise seeds
Semi di cumino - caraway seeds
Semi di finocchio- fennel seeds
Semi di girasole - sunflower seeds
Semi di papavero – poppy seeds
Semi di sesamo - sesame seeds
Semi di zucca - pumpkin seeds
Semifreddo (see also coviglia) - chilled desert
Semola di granno duro - durum wheat
Semolino – semolina flour is durum wheat more coarsely ground
Senape – mustard (see mostarda)
Senape al miele - honey mustard
Senape macinata a pietra - stone ground mustard
Seppia - cuttlefish
Seppioline - small cuttlefish
Serpillo - wild thyme
Servire - to serve, to need (se serve - if needed)
Sesamo - sesame
Setacciare, stacciare - to sift (setacciati - sifted)
Setaccio – sieve, sifter, comb slicer (also called Staccio)
Setosa - silky
Sezionare - to divide up, cut up
Sfaldare - devide, seperate into layers
Sfaldate - to flake, flake off, scale off
Sfamare - to feed
Sfilettare - to fillet
Sfincioni – bread dough pizza
Sfingie - little Italian doughnuts similiar to Zeppole
Sfoglia – thin layer, a sheet of hand rolled fresh pasta dough
Sfogliare - peal off, tear off
Sfogliata - puff
Sfogliatelle - neopolitan pastry horn
Sfogliatrice passatela - pasta machine
Sformare - remove from or knock out of a mold
Sformato - a type of souffle'
Sfornare - to take out of the oven
Sfrigolare - to sizzle
Sfumare - to blend, soften, dissipate (sfumateli - you soften them)
Sgocciolare - to drain, to drip
Sgombro,i - mackerel fish
Sgonfiare - to deflate
Sgranare – to shell (peas, corn), to open wide (sgranare gli occhi)
Sgrassare - to remove the fat or greese
Sgrondare- to let the liquid drain (Sgrondateli – you all drain them) (Sgrondarle)
Sgroppino - an Italian cocktail made with lemon sorbet, vodka, and Proseco
Sgusciare – to shell (Uovo, piselli, mandorla)
Sicciolo,i - cracklings, pork rinds (see also cotenna, ciccioli)
Sidro – cider
Sigillare - to seal
Siringa - piping bag, pastry bag
Sistemare - to arrange (see accomodate)
Slegare - to untie
Smerlare – to scallop
Sminuzzare- to crumble, to chop, to tear into small pieces (i.e. bread)
Smontare - to dissipate, dismantle
Snocciolare - to pit
Snoccioliva - cherry or olive pitter
Sobbollire - to simmer
Socino - chicory root
Soda, sodo - hard, firm
Soda caustica purissime - food grade lye (see also Liscivia)
Soffice - soft
Soffione - dandelion (see also dente, tarassaco)
Soffioni abruzzesi - a little italian cupsake filled with ricotta cream
Soffriggere – fry lightly
Soffritto – fried mixture usually celery, carrots and onions etc.
Soggiungere - to add
Sogliola – sole fish
Solidificare - to solidify or make solid
Sommommoli - a ball of sweetened fried rice
Soporito,Soporoso - tasty
Sopressata - dry cured salami made from pork loin and fat
Sorpresine - (means little surprise) - a tortellini made without filling
Sorbetto - sorbet
Sottile – thin (fettine sottile –slice thin)(sottilissime - very thin)
Sottaceto – pickle (sott`aceto –pickled)
Sottostante – underlying, below, lower
Souffle' - souffle'
Sovrapporre –to place on top (sovrapponendoli - placing on top of them)
Spacchettare - to dissolve, to melt, to undue or untie
Spagno da cucina - kitchen string
Spalla – shoulder, also a lean cured larger type salami made from pork shoulder
Spalmare – spread, smear, cover (spalmate – you all spread)
Spappolare - to crush, to become mushy
Sparacetti - Sicilian for broccoli
Spargere- to spread, to spill (spargila – spread it)
Spatola - spatula
Speck - smoked cured boneless haunch of the pig
Spegnere - to put out, extinguish, to turn off
Spellare – to scrape, peel, skin
Spelt - farro (farricello) is wheat grain
Spelucchino - a short kitchen utility knife, it can have a short, serrated or curved blade
Spennellare – to brush, to paint (spennellale con uova sbattute – brush with the beaten egg)
Spessa - a straw yellow cows milk cheese with tiny holes
Spesso - thick
Spessore - thickness (spessore di un ditto - thickness of a finger)
Spezia - spice
Spezzetare – to break up into small pieces
Spezzatino - stew
Spianatoia – a clear, a prepared, a level surface (spianare)
Spicchio- segment (spicchiettini – small segmants) (see calotta)
Spicchi – cloves of garlic, segments
Spiedino – skewer
Spiedo - spit (allo spiedo - on a spit)
Spinaci - spinach
Spinacino di carne - beef tri-tip
Spinare - to bone (remove the bone)(see also diliscate, disossare)
Spingere - to press, to push (spingetela - you (pl) press it)
Spolverizzare - to dust or sprinkle (spolverizzatelo - you all dust it)
Spolpare - to skin, to remove the flesh
Spremere – squeeze like in a lemon
Spremiagrumi - citrus squeezer
Spremuta di arancia - fresh orange juice
Spensierata - airy
Sprigariello - Italian green that develops florets like broccoli, but is grown for its edible, peppery leaves
Sprigola – sea bass
Spruzzo - splash
Spuma - foam
Spumeggera` - foamy
Spumante - sparkling wine
Spumeggiante - sparkling
Spumeso - foamy
Spumone - soft ice cream made with whipped cream
Spumoni - frozen desert made from ice cream, cream, nuts and candied fruit
Spuntare- break the point of (spuntati i fagionlini - break the end off the beans)
Spuntino – snack
Spurgare - to draw out (bitter) liquid (as in using salt on eggplant)
Spuzzata - dusting, sprinkling, or splashing with something
Squacquerone - a soft cows milk cheese from Emilia- Romagna
Squadro - angel fish
Squamapesce - fish descaler
Squamare - to scale
Srotolare - unroll, roll out the dough
Staccare - deglaze, loosen, remove, tear out, seperate, peel, detach
Staccio – detach, separate, sift (see Setaccio)
Stagionare - to season
Stagnola - tin foil
Stampino – punch, stencil
Stampo - mould or die
Stampo a cerniera - spring form cake pan, or cake pan with a hindge
Stampo ad anello - ring mold pan
Steccare - to apply
Steccatelo - splint it
Stecchino- toothpick (see also struzzicadenti)
Stecchire - to make it become thin, dry and ridged like a twig
Stelle di Anice - star anice
Stemperare – to dilute or dissolve (stemperatelo – you all dissolve it)
Stendere – to roll out, to spread
Stesura - to coat or layer
Stinco - shank, shin (stinchetti - small shank or shin)
Stoccafissso - salt cod from Veneto
Stopposa - stringy
Storione - sturgeon fish
Stortino di trento - green bean that is curved like a ring with red brown markings
Stoviglie - dishes
Strabordare - get under or between the edges
Straccetti - thin slices of meat or fish
Stracci - a fresh egg pasta cut into irregular shapes
Stracchino - a light yellow soft cows milk desert cheese from Lombardia that is wrapped up to from squares
Stracnar - flat imprinted pasta made by rolling onto a Stracnar pasta board (Cavarola)
Stracuocere - overcook (stracotto - overcooked)(stracotto - beef stew)
Stradette - pasta made with corn meal from Piedmont
Strangolapreti - swiss chard and bread crumb gnocchi
Strangozzi - type of pasta made in Spoleto
Strappare - uncork
Strapazzate – scrambled
Strato - a layer
Stratu - Scilian for tomato paste
Strega - an anise liqueur
Strichetti - see also farfalle - butterfly shaped pasta
Strigoli - or bladder champion is an herb in which its leaves are used like spinach
Strinare - flambes', means to singe (strinate - you (pl) singe)
Strisca,ce – strip, striped
Strisciare - to scratch
Striscio - scratch
Striscioline - strips
Strizzare – to squeeze like in a sponge (eggplant)
Strofinaccio - absorbent cloth, dish cloth
Strofinare - to rub (strofinandola - rub it)
Strozzapreti - a pasta made with equal parts semolina and all purpose flour rolled smilar to gnocchi, also by twisting the dough into a pencil shape
Strucolo - strudel
Struffoli - a Christmas pastry ball that is deep fried and honey coated
Strutta - melted, liquified
Strutto – lard
Struzzicadenti - toothpick (see also stecchino)
Struzzichino – appetizer
Stuccare - to stuff, to fill (see also riempire)
Stufa - stove
Stufare – to stew (stufato - stew)
Succo - juice
Succo di limone - lemon juice
Succoso - juicy
Sughetto – small amount of sauce
Sugo – sauce, gravy
Summacco - a spice with an acidic or astringent flavor used on numerous dishes like lemon
Suppli - rice croquette
Surgelato, a - frozen
Susina – plum
Svelstafetta - vegetable slicer (see also Affettaverdure)
Svuotare - to empty (out)
Tacchino – turkey
Taccole - snow peas
Tacconcelle - a pasta cut in squares about 1/8 inch thick
Tagghiarini, tagliolini - a fresh long egg dough pasta about 1/8 inch wide
Taggiasche - high quality small black olives produced in Liguria
Tagliapasta - pasta cutter (wheel)
Tagliare – to cut (tagliatela- you all cut it)
Tagliarini - fettacini ribbon pasta thinner then tagliatelle also called tajarin
Tagliata - is a seasoned T-bone, New York strip or flank steak that is about 1 1/2 inches thick. It is grilled rare to medium rare and sliced to 1/4 inch thick and served on a bed of fresh arugula.
Tagliatelli – very thin and delicate flat noodles about ¼ inch wide
Tagliatelline - narrow tagliatelle
Tagliauova - egg slicer
Tagliere - cutting board
Tagliuzzare – to cut into small pieces
Tahina - sesame seed paste (see also creama di sesamo)
Taleggio - a soft table cheese made from cows milk from Valtaleggio region near Lombardy
Tamponare - to dab
Tanistrelli - a Ligurian tea butter cookie
Tanni - leafy turnip tops
Taralli - a boiled pretzel
Tarassaco - dandelion (see also dente, soffione)t
Tartaro,a,e - Tartar
Tartaruga - turtle
Tartina - canape'
Tartufare - to garnish
Tartufo - truffle
Tasca da pasticciere - pastry decorating bag
Tastasal - a fresh soft pork salami made with a little extra salt and black pepper
Tazza – cupful (Tazzina – coffee cup)
Tegame – frying pan
Teglia - baking sheet, pan, baking container or roasting pot
Teglietta - flan dish
Tela Indiana - cheese cloth (garza - gauze)
Telaio- a loop
Tellina,e - edible bivalve mollusk with a thin shell found in the mediteranian
Telo - length of cloth
Temperatura ambientale - room temperature
Tempo di cottura - cooking time
Tenero/a - tender
Tentacolo - tentacle (tentacolino - small tentacle)
Termometro - thermometer
Termometro di cottura - meat thermometer
Terrina - cereamic bowl used for soup or salad (see zuppiera)
Testo - large round metal or terracotta oven plate for flat bread, pizza, torte
T`e verde - green tea
Tiella - a low walled earthenware baking pan
Tiene – to keep (Tienile – keep them or put them) (tenetela in caldo - keep it hot)
Tiepido,a - tepid, lukewarm
Timballo - metal cylindrical form used for cooking pasta or souffle', also the name of a pasta dish made with the form that has layers of sheet pasta, meat, cheese, sauce, etc.
Timo – thyme
Tinca - fresh water fish of the carp family
Tiramisu`- cake made with custard, coffee, rum, lady fingers etc.
Tocchetti- pieces
Togliere - remove, take off
Toma (Tuma) - a smooth, firm cows milk cheese from Lombardia and Piedmonte
Toma - a sicilian fresh ewe's-milk curd or unsalted goats milk cheese
Tombarello - (tonnetto) - a small tuna fish (bullet tuna)
Tomini - a cheese made from cows, goat, or sheeps milk from Piedmonte
Tondino - small veal or beef round
Tondo – round (in tondo- in circles)
Tonnato - tuna fish sauce
Tonno – tuna
Topinambur - Jerusalem artichoke from the root of the sunflower
Toresani - squab
Torrone - nougat candy
Torsolo - core
Torta - cake
Torta di frutta - tart (see crostata)
Tortelli - ravioli
Tortellini - an egg pasta made by cutting 3 to 4 inch rounds filling with various ingredients and shaping into monk type hats
Tortelloni - are larger tortellini
Tortiera – cake tin
Tortine - cup cake
Tortino - savoury pie, or a mixture of cooked vegetables in a round form
Tostapane - a toaster
Tostare - to toast
Tostato – toasted
Tostatura - a toasted item i.e. bread, coffee, cacao
Tovaglia - tablecloth
Tovagliolo, Tovagliuolo - napkin
Tracchiolelle - spare ribs
Traccia – mark, trace, track, outline
Trachiole - pork neck
Tramesso – side dish (Entremets in French)
Tramezzino – sandwich
Trancia - slice (tranci- slices)
Treccine - a braided twisted cookie made with fennel seeds.
Trenette - long flat noodles
Trevisana - radicchio from Traviso
Triangoli - a filled pasta made by folding a square shaped small sheet of dough over the filling into a triangle
Trifolato - cooked in oil, garlic and parsley
Triglia – a variety of red mullet
Trinciare – to cut up (trinciate –you all cut up)
Trinciapollo – poultry shears
Trippa - tripe
Tripolini - small bowtie pasta with rounded edges
Tritacarne - meat grinder
Tritaghiaccio - ice crusher
Tritare - to mince, grind, chop up
Tritato – chopped (tritateli – you all chop them)
Tritatutto elettrico - food processor (see cucina frullatore, robot da cucina)
Trito,a- minced ( tritati – you mince)
Trofie - a gnocchi made with a bran free flour 1 1/2 inch long and curled
Trota – trout fish
Tubetti – medium to small tubular pasta cut about 1 inch
Tuffare- to plunge, to dip (tuffale – plunge them), tuffate -immerse
Tuorlo,i – egg yolk,s ( rosso d’uovo)
Umido – stew, stewed
Ungere – to oil, grease, lubricate (see also inumidire, imbastire)
Unire – unite,mix, join (unendole – joining them)(uniteci- join it)
Un' ombra - a hint or a touch
Untatina - a light, quick one time baste of oil
Untre facile (oltre facile) - over easy
Uovo – egg
Uovo all'occhio di bue - fried egg
Uovo di ricci di mare - sea urchin roe
Uovo sodo – hard boiled egg
Uva – grape
Uva al porto - white or black grapes seeds removed cut in half and soaked in white port wine overnight
Uva malaga - the grape that Malaga wine is extracted from
Uva passa – raisen (see uvetta)
Uva secca - raisen
Uva sultanina – currant
Uvetta - raisen (see uva passa)
Vaccareddi - large snails
Vaccina - cows milk
Vagliettino - small sieve
Valtellina - a semi-skimmed cows milk cheese that is dense, pale colored with a nutty sweet flavor
Vaniglia – vanilla
Vanillina - a product with liquid vanilla flavor that is made in Italy
Vas nicola- basil (see basilico)
Vaso del frullatore - vase of the kitchen blender
Vassoio- tray
Vavusi (suillus luteus) - a mushroom
Velerianella - a type of lettuce, also known as corn salad or lamb lettuce
Vellutata - vegetable puree mixed with cream, egg yokes to a creamy consistency
Ventre, i - stomach
Ventriglio- gizzard
Verdura - vegitablesd (see also ortaggio)
Vermicelli – very fine cylindrical pasta used in broth.
Versare – to pour (versaci – pour it)
Versato - put on
Verza - savoy cabbage
Vialone nano - short plump grained rice used for risotto
Vinaccioli - seeds inside the grape
Vino della casa – house wine
Vino di annata - vintage wine
Vino di riso - rice vinegar
Vin santo – dessert wine
Viscichetta - bladder (of a fish, squid)
Vitello - veal
Vitello de latte - milk fed veal
Vitellone - young steer (tender beef)
Vivi , da - alive
Vongola, e - clam, see also ostriche americane
Vorticare - to whirl, swirl (vortice - whirl)
Yogurt magro - low fat yogurt
Zabaione - zabaglione- cream made with egg yolk, sugar and Marsala wine
Zafferano – saffron
Zaleti - corn cookie made in a diamond shape
Zampe - feet (zampe di gallina - chicken feet)
Zampette - crawling legs or paws
Zampino - pigs trotter
Zampone - a pork sausage that is stuffed into a pig's trotter instead of casing
Zenzero – ginger
Zeppole - a fried doughnut shaped cookie that can be filled with cream etc.
Zerri - small reef fish usually deep fried
Zibibbo - a grape variety similar to muscat grapes
Zimino - a green vegetable salsa
Ziti – medium-sized dry pasta tubes
Zola - Gorganzola cheese
Zolletta – lump, cube
Zucca - squash, pumpkin
Zucca gialla - butternut squash
Zuccata - candied pumpkin
Zuccherare – put sugar in, add sugar
Zuccherato ,a,i - sweetened
Zucchero – sugar
Zucchero a velo - superfine or confectionery sugar
Zucchero di canna - brown sugar
Zucchero in grani - granulated sugar
Zucchero grezzo - unrefined or raw sugar
Zucchero semolato - granulated, refined sugar, castor sugar, superfine sugar
Zucchine - zucchini
Zuppa - soup
Zuppa inglese - Italian egg custard based dessert with cocoa, sweet liquor, lady fingers or sponge cake served in different forms
Zuppiera – (soup) tureen (see terrina)