Al dente – An Italian
expression applied in all western
kitchens to pasta cooked just until
enough resistance is left in it to be
felt “by the tooth.” Fresh pasta can
never be cooked al dente as it is too
soft. The expression is also applied to
vegetables that have been cooked crisp
by steaming, boiling, or stir-frying.
Antipasto – An appetizer
course, usually consisting of salami,
cheese, seafood and vegetables.
Arborio –The name given to
some of the best short-grained rice
grown in the Po Valley of Italy, and
used to prepare risotto.
Aromatics – Plant
ingredients, such as herbs and spices,
used to enhance the flavor and fragrance
of food.
Asiago – This is an
Italian cheese. At different ages, it
has different textures and tastes. When
it’s fresh, it’s smooth and mild. As the
cheese ages, it gets harder, crumbly and
has a taste similar to Parmesan.
Bocconcini – Fresh Italian
mozzarella balls sold in a water or
brine solution.
Bolognese – A pasta sauce that usually
contains mushrooms, ham, chopped
vegetables, meat and tomato paste.
Bouillabaisse – A
Mediterranean seafood soup.
Bruschetta – An Italian
dish of toasted bread topped with
garlic, olive oil, tomatoes and basil.
Bucatini – A thick
spaghetti-like pasta with a hole through
the center.
Cappelletti – A type of
ravioli. The dough is usually cut into
small circular or square cases and then
filled with cheese, meat, seafood or
vegetables.
Cioppino - A fish stew
usually made with white wine and
tomatoes.
Crepe – A thin pancake
made with egg batter.
Crescenza – A soft-ripened
cheese made from cow’s milk and has no
rind.
Culatello – This is an
Italian ham that is cured and soaked in
wine during the aging process. Once aged
to perfection, it has a rosy red color,
is lean and has a delicate flavor.
Espagnole – Brown sauce
made with brown stock, caramelized
mirepoix and tomato puree, and
seasonings.
Fettuccine – A
1/4-inch-wide ribbon noodle.
Fonduta - Fluid and creamy
liquefied Fontina melted slowly in milk
and cooked in a bain-marie while gently
mixing in some egg yolks.
Fontina - A semi-soft
Italian cow's-milk cheese, which is
easily melted. When matured, fontina can
be grated and used like Parmesan.
Ganache – A mixture of
grated or finely chopped chocolate,
black or white, and scalded heavy cream,
whisked on medium speed until completely
cool.
Gnocchi – Gnocchi are
starchy dumplings that are made in
various shapes. There are two basic
types of gnocchi: those based on
potatoes and those based on flour or
cornmeal.
Gorgonzola – A veined
Italian blue cheese, made from
un-skimmed cow and/or goat milk. It can
be buttery or firm, crumbly and salty
with a bite from the blue veining.
Goulash – A rich stew made
with beef or veal and vegetables and
flavored with paprika.
Grana Padana – A hard
cheese made from cow’s milk in the Po
Valley of Northern Italy.
Haloumi – Firm white
cheese made from sheep’s milk. It has a
stringy texture and is usually sold in
brine.
Lard – To insert strips of
fatback into a piece of meat to be
braised, using a special cutter with a
hollow blade called a lardoir.
Lasagna – A wide strip of
thin pasta.
Liqueur – A spirit
flavored with fruit, spices, nuts,
herbs, and / or seeds and usually
sweetened.
Macaroni – Handmade
egg-less pasta made from flour or a
combination of flour and semolina,
water, and a small amount of salt. Often
used to refer to elbow-shaped pasta.
Marsala – An Italian
fortified wine made in the vicinity of
Marsala in Sicily.
Mascarpone – A soft,
unripened cheese in the cream cheese
family and it is usually served with
fresh fruit or is used in tiramisu.
Mortadella – A large,
smooth-textured Italian sausage or cold
cut made with finely ground pork, and
flavored with black pepper, myrtle
berries, nutmeg, coriander, pistachios
and olives.
Mozzarella – Italian
cheese made of pasta filata, a cheese
paste that pulls into strings when
cooked to approximately 96 to 98 degrees
F.
Noodles – Pasta made with
flour or a mixture of flour and
semolina, whole eggs, or egg whites.
Orecchiette – A type of
pasta that is shaped like a “little ear”
and usually goes well with soups, broths
or vegetable sauces.
Pandoro – A traditional
yeast bread and is usually shaped like
an 8-pointed star. It is most often
served dusted with powdered sugar to
resemble the snowy peaks of the
mountains.
Panella – A Sicilian
fritter made from mostly chickpea flour.
Parmigiano-Reggiano – The
king of Italian hard-grating cheeses
made from cow’s milk. Once you have
tasted this cheese grated over the top
of a pasta dish you will always have it
on hand!
Pasta – The Italian
generic name for all forms of alimentary
pastes made from a mixture of flour,
semolina, and whole eggs or egg whites,
but no water, as opposed to macaroni,
which contains water and no eggs.
Pastasciutta – Literally
translated “dry pasta,” meaning fresh or
dried pasta with sauce (as opposed to a
soup or a baked pasta dish).
Pasticcio – A baked dish
of pasta and other ingredients,
moistened with one or more sauces.
Pecorino – really good in
risotto recipes with pecorino A hard
grating cheese derived from ewe’s milk
mostly made in the Roman Lazio
countryside and Sardinia.
Pepperoncini – A type of
pickled pepper that is mildly hot and
bitter.
Pesto – From the Italian
pestare, a verb that means to pound or
crush. Pesto is traditionally made of
crushed fresh basil leaves pounded with
garlic, Pecorino, either pine nuts for
walnuts, and olive oil.
Polenta – A thick mush made of cornmeal
boiled in stock or water.
Prosciutto - A salt-cured,
air-dried Italian ham that originated in
the area around the city of Parma. This
dense-textured, intensely flavored ham
is served as an appetizer with melon or
figs, and also used in cooking, often to
flavor sauces. Prosciutto crudo is raw
and prosciutto cotto is cooked.
Ricotta – A fresh, creamy
white cheese, smoother than cottage
cheese, with a slightly sweet flavor. It
is available in whole milk and part-skim
milk versions, and is often used in
lasagna and stuffed pastas. A little can
be stirred into a sauce to add richness
as well as creamy body.
Rigatoni – A ribbed,
tubular pasta with square-cut ends and
is often slightly curved.
Risotto – Risotto is a
creamy rice dish made with short-grain
or Arborio Italian rice. The rice is
gently cooked in butter or olive oil.
Liquid, usually broth is then added a
small amount at a time until the rice is
cooked and bathed in creamy liquid.
Risotto must be stirred almost
constantly to release the starch from
the rice so the starch thickens the
broth, giving the dish its
characteristic creamy consistency.
Romano Cheese – A hard,
salty, grating cheese. Pecorino Romano
is the best known, and is made with
sheep’s milk, while many other types are
made with cow’s milk or a blend of cow
and goat milk. Grate as you would
Parmesan and use as a tangy accent for
pasta dishes.
Saltimbocca – An Italian
dish of veal that is thinly sliced and
rolled in prosciutto and sage leaves.
Semolina – The coarsely
milled hard wheat endosperm used for
gnocchi, some pasta, and couscous.
Speck – A cured, smoked
and boned ham, cut from the thigh.
Sugo – A simple tomato
sauce or other type of sauce comprised
of relatively few ingredients.
Tortellini – A ring-shaped
pasta usually stuffed with a mix of meat
and served in broth or a tomato sauce.
Truffle – An edible fungi
that grows in the soil and can be found
colored white or black. Also known as
the earthnut.
Zabaglione – A whipped
custard made with egg yolks and sugar
gradually diluted over heat with Marsala
or other wine, fruit juice, or liqueur.
THE TASTE OF ITALY
Foods of
Italy
Italy has over 20 different
regions, each with its own specialties.
A Gourmet’s
Paradise
Learn more about
Tuscany’s unique
flavors which
make it a prime
locale for food
lovers
everywhere.
Glossary of
Terms
View a glossary
of cooking terms
often used in
Italian recipes.
