Glossary of Cooking Terminology
dei termini della cucina

 
Al denté: Past cooked a little less than usual. This gives the pasta a harder texture and the english translation is "Hard to the bite".

 
Baccala: This is dried codfish, either salted or sundried. click here for baccala recipe

Biscotti: Italian cookie often hard in texture and lightly flavored with anise.

Bruschetta: Garlic and Olive Oil topped toasted bread topped with chopped Tomatoes and Basil.

 
Cacciatore: An Italian combination meat and vegetable dish (ie: Chicken Cacciatore) in which vegetables are cooked in a hearty sauce with meat.

Carbonara: traditional pasta sauce consisting of garlic, eggs, and bacon served over pasta click here for carbonara recipe

Carpaccio: thinly sliced whole beef tenderloin topped with a mustard - mayonnaise sauce.

 
Dolce: It can mean sweet and is also means "a dessert"

 
Focaccia: Italian pizza dough often topped with olive oil, herbs, garlic, and cheese.

Fritto: fried, deep-fried

 
Gelato: ice cream

Genovese: beef stew made with onions and tomato sauce (often used as a pasta sauce)

Giardiniera: pickled vegetables usually preserved in a mason jar.

 
Imbrogliata: scrambled

Indiavolato: spicy

Integrale: whole wheat

 
Marinara: A pasta sauce traditionally made with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and olive oil. Variations: Capers, pitted black olives, crushed red pepper or diced chile pepper. The sauce first originated from Naples after the Spaniards introduced the tomato. The word marinara is derived from marinaro, which is Italian for “of the sea.” Because of this, many people mistakenly believe marinara sauce includes some type of fish or seafood. However, marinara sauce loosely translates as “the sauce of the sailors,” because it was a meatless sauce extensively used on sailing ships before modern refrigeration techniques were invented.

Mosto: pure, unrefined fruit juice used in wine and liquors. Grape mosto is used for winemaking as well as for flavoring many Italian sweets and meat dishes. There are other types of mosto too: malt mosto can be used to make beer, apple for cider, and cherry and prune for brandies and liqueurs.

 
Ossobuco: ossobuco is made of braised veal shanks. Oven baked in a vegetable tomato sauce. Usually served with a side order of pasta.

 
Pancetta: Found in the fat belly or cheek of a pig, consisting of alternating layers of fat and lean tissue. It can be rolled, aged, salted or smoked.

Zabaione: this dessert is made by whisking egg yolks with sugar and dry marsala wine in a deep bowl until a rich cream forms. Variations include the use of other sweet wines like Moscato, Vin Santo, Prosecco, and port.

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