A guide to the food in Italy
Eating out in Venice or Italy can be daunting if you do not want to get cheated. To get a truly Italian experience it is always best to eat where the locals eat. This means that the menu will be written only in Italian and you are expected to know what all of these items are on the menu. If you have special dietary concerns then this will be even more of a struggle if you do not understand some of the common items on the menu.
Fortunately I have gathered some of the most common terms for you and translated them so that it should be much easier to understand when you to out. I am seriously considering a Italian word of the day email to help my readers learn Italian. Or perhaps I could find a sponsor that has this that will be of service to those that read my blog regularly.
Here are some of the more common dishes used.
Antipasti – Appetizer
Antipasto misto – a mix of appetizers
Carcifi – This is some sort of artichoke dish served in oil
Gamberi el fagloli – shrimp and white beans
Prosciutto – this is a cured ham that is normally served with melons but can be used in any appetizer dish
Minestre (Soups) and Pasta
Cacciucco – this is a spicy fish soup
Cappelletti – Small ravioli with a light broth
Frittata – An Italian omelet
Minestrone – This is a beef soup with vegetables and pasta
Panzerotti – This is ra avioli filled with mozzarella, anchovies and an egg mixture
Polenta – This is a cake made of corn
Spaghetti alle vongole – This is a pasta dish with a clam sauce
Meat Dishes (carne)
Abbacchio – milk fed lamb
Agnello – lamb
Anatra – duck
Arista – Pork loin
Cervo – Venison
Cinghiale – boar
Coniglio – rabbit
Fagiano – pheasant
Lingua – tongue
Lombo di malate – pork loin
Ragu – meat sauce
Vitello – veal
Fish (Pesce)
Aragosta – lobster
Aringa – herring
Baccala – dried salt cod
Branzino – sea bass
Brodetto – fish stew
Calamari – squid
Gamberetto – shrimp
Gamberi – prawns
Gamberi di flume – crayfish
Granchia – Crab
Sogliola – sole
Squadron – monkfish
Tonna – tuna
Vongola – small clams
This is just a small sample of what is available. Perhaps I could include a new word with each new post so as to help us all learn the Italian language. I am really kicking around some ideas here and hopefully soon I should have something in the works. Well I hope this helped someone out there.