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We just published a handy one-page Italy Menu Decoder, the latest in our growing series.
But to do justice to popular Italian dishes and terms for dining in restaurants, we had to leave out some translations related to gelato and pizza—perhaps visitors’ biggest cravings.
After the jump, read our cheat sheet of words to know for your next gelateria or pizzeria stop.
At the Gelateria
crema - custard made with eggs
panna - vanilla cream (not whipped, lighter than gelato alla crema)
panna montata - whipped cream
fiordilatte - delicate vanilla cream (generally made without eggs)
cioccolato/cioccolato fondente - chocolate/dark chocolate
nocciola - hazelnut
caffé - coffee
stracciatella - vanilla chocolate chip
After Eight - mint chocolate chip
Bacio - chocolate hazelnut cream
frutti di bosco - wild-berry fruit
amarena - sour cherry
cono - cone
coppa - cup
gusto - flavor
At the Pizzeria
margherita - tomato, basil, mozzarella
marinara - tomato, garlic
napoli - tomato, mozzarella, anchovies, capers, oregano
prosciutto - tomato, mozzarella, cooked ham
funghi - tomato, mozzarella, mushrooms
wurstel - tomato, mozzarella, hot-dog rounds
salsiccia - tomato, mozzarella, crumbled sausage
atomica - varies, but always has tomato, mozzarella, and hot pepper
quattro formaggi - tomato, 4 cheeses
quattro stagioni - tomato, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, olives, ham, mushrooms
capricciosa - pizzaiolo's, or pizza-maker's, surprise
calzone - a pizza folded over, usually with mozzarella and ham inside, and tomato on top
pizza al taglio - pizza by the slice
—Kyle Phillips, a Tuscany-based food and travel writer
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drool, that was just an excuse to list all of my favorite things wasn't it!
Posted By Sarah on November 20, 2008, 12:05 PM
I would add:
Macedonia - apparently it's a fruit salad. But I might be wrong. I saw this a lot on dinner menus.
Posted By Lili on November 20, 2008, 12:40 PM
Thanks, Lili, you're correct. Macedonia is Italian for fruit salad and often paired with gelato. We included the term in the desserts section of our Italy Menu Decoder.
Posted By Kate Appleton on November 20, 2008, 1:02 PM
The first time we went to Italy (on vacation), for my co-workers I wrote a corporate style trip report on "Total Quality Assessment of Gelato". My findings: More Study Needed :-)
The Menu Decoder is great, but how about an expanded copy that we could load onto an iPod or similar handheld/smartphone?
Posted By David Emery on November 24, 2008, 12:21 PM
Think you need to clarify that in Italy, especially Napoli and further south, mozza American cow's milk and thus has more flavor. Also, pizza in that region is made with a green leaf Italians call chicory which I don't know the US translation for but miss in pizza made without it. Further clarification on funghi vs American button mushrooms re: much more intense flavor. Those are the differences that add zest and taste to Italian food but are often overlooked.
Posted By tazz tassone on November 24, 2008, 12:23 PM
Be careful when ordering 'peperoni' pizza in Italy. It will come loaded with bell peppers!! Order 'salsiccia piccante' instead - and double check with the waiter!
Posted By Cindy Patton on November 25, 2008, 8:42 PM