Doing Italy's Glossary of Italian Words

You might have noticed, but here at Doing Italy we adore Italian culture – the passion for food, the slow approach to life, and Italy’s sing-song language. It’s almost impossible to share about life in Italy without sneaking in an Italian word every so often – there’s just something about the emphatic way Italians say amazzacaffé, or the way merenda rolls off the tongue.

To help you understand when an Italian word inevitably slips through the cracks of this American-English site, and perhaps to start your Italian language journey, we’ve decided to create a rolling Italian Glossary of Terms. 

DOING ITALY’S ITALIAN GLOSSARY

 Food

Amaro | bitter; also the name of a bitter herbal liquor drunk as a digestivo, or digestive

Amazzacaffé | literally “kill the coffee”, amazzacaffé is a digestive drunk after a coffee

Antipasto | starter plate of a meal, typically consisting of cured meats and cheeses; also see An Easy Guide to a Traditional Italian Meal

Aperitivo | light snacks served before a meal, typically crackers, chips or olives, served with a cocktail; also see An Easy Guide to a Traditional Italian Meal

Buon Appetito | enjoy your meal

Contorno | side dish; usually consisting of vegetables; also see An Easy Guide to a Traditional Italian Meal

Crostata | a fruit tart or pie eaten for merenda or dolce

Digestivo | digestive; usually a liqueur or spirit like amaro, grappa or limoncello drunk at the end of a meal

Dolce | sweet; can be used to describe the taste of a food, or as a general word for dessert.

Is there something you’d love to know how to say in Italian? Sound off in the comments below, or send me a message on Instagram, and I’ll do my best to teach you!