Cairns Dining Articles

Understanding Italian Menus

When eating at an Italian restaurant in Cairns, it’s possible the entire menu will be written in the Italian language. Sometimes English translations will be included, but they can be vague.

It’s dangerous to order an Italian meal without having a basic idea of what to expect, so this list of Italian culinary terms can assist you when making a choice.

• Appetizers - antipasti
• Soups — usually zuppa
• Bread - pane
• Salad - insalata
• Primi Piatti — first courses, usually pasta
• Secondi Piatti - main courses
• Piatto Principale — main dish, usually meat
• Dessert — dolce

Cooking

If you’re trying to stick to a special dietary program, you will want to avoid foods cooked in a certain manner, such as deep-fried. These keywords will assist you in making a choice.

• Baked — al forno
• Boiled — lesso
• Cold — freddo
• Cured — salato
• Fried - fritto
• Grilled — ai ferri
• Hot — caldo
• Mashed — il pure
• Poached — affogato
• Raw — crudo
• Roasted — arrostito
• Smoked — affumicato
• Spicy — piccante
• Steamed — cotto al vapore
• Toasted - tostato

Italian words for dieters

Here are a few words that dieters should keep an eye out for when perusing an Italian menu. Any mention of the following words in the meal description should set bells ringing to warn you of the artery-clogging characteristics of the meal. But remember these can be the yummiest meals of all!

• Butter — burro
• Cream — panna
• Cheese — formaggio, cacio, caprino
• Common cheese varieties — parmigiano, mozzarella, asiago, fontina, gorgonzola, mascarpone, pecorino, provolone, ricotta, robiola, taleggio.
• Oil — olio

Pasta

Italian pasta comes in a confusing array of shapes and sizes. Here is a list that helps shed some light on what your meal is going to look like when it arrives at your table.

• Agnolotti — similar to ravioli, but smaller. This is usually stuffed with meat, cheese, or vegetables.
• Calciuni — fried ravioli
• Cannelloni — large, tube-shaped pasta, usually filled with meat or cheese.
• Cappellini — very thin pasta, often called angel hair.
• Conchiglie — shells of pasta
• Farfalle — shaped like a butterfly or bow tie
• Fettuccine — thin noodles that are somewhat wider than spaghetti
• Fusilli — corkscrews
• Gnocchi — potato-based pasta dumplings
• Lasagne — Broad, flat noodles, usually baked with meat, cheese and tomato sauce
• Linguine — Flat noodles, wider than spaghetti, but narrower than fettuccine
• Maccheroni — elbow-shaped tubes, also called macaroni
• Orecchiette — small shells
• Pappardelle — broad, long noodles
• Penne — short pasta tubes
• Ravioli — pillows of pasta, usually stuffed with cheese, meat, or vegetables
• Rigatoni — short, large tubes
• Spaghetti — long, thin strands of pasta
• Tagliatelle — long, flat strands of pasta
• Tortellini — small, folded pillows of pasta, usually stuffed with cheese, meat or vegetables
• Ziti — large noodles, shaped like macaroni

Pasta sauces

Pasta sauces vary from restaurant to restaurant, but the fundamental properties of each sauce are unchanging.

• Boscaiola — tomatoes, butter, cheese, mushrooms, olive oil, garlic
• Bolognese — meat, tomatoes, cheese
• Carbonara — olive oil, cheese, egg, bacon or ham
• Diavolo — tomato sauce with hot spices
• Genovese — basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil
• Marinara — tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, sometimes olives
• Napoletana — cheese, tomatoes, herbs
• Novelli — tomatoes, anchovies, cheese
• Puttanesca — tomatoes, black olives, peppers, olive oil, garlic
• Quattro Formaggi — literally, four cheese
• Siciliana — provolone cheese and eggplant

Vegetables

• Artichoke — il carciofo
• Asparagus — l’asparago
• Broccoli — i broccoli
• Cabbage — il cavolo
• Carrots — le carote
• Celery — il sedano
• Corn — il grano
• Cucumber — il cetriolo
• Garlic — l’aglio
• Green Beans — i fagiolini
• Lettuce — la lattuga
• Mushrooms — i funghi
• Olives — le olive
• Onion — la cipolla
• Peas — i piselli
• Potatoes — le patate

Meats and seafood

• Anchovy — l’acciuga
• Bacon — pancetta
• Beef — il manzo, la bistecca
• Chicken — il pollo
• Clams — le volgone
• Duck — l’anitra
• Eel — l’anguilla
• Eggs — le ouva
• Fish — il pesce
• Goose — l’oca
• Lamb — l’agnello
• Liver — il fegato
• Lobster — l’aragosta
• Meat — la carne
• Meatballs — le polpette
• Mussels — le cozze
• Oysters — le ostriche
• Pork — il maiale
• Prawns — scampi
• Rabbit — il coniglio
• Salmon — il salmone
• Sausage — la salsicca
• Seafood — frutti di mare
• Shrimp — i gamberi
• Squid — i calamari
• Trout — la trota
• Veal — il vitello

Drinks

• Beer — la birra
• Champagne — spumante or champagne
• Coffee — il caffé
• Ice — il ghiacchio
• Juice — il succo
• Milk — il latte
• Tea — il té
• Water — l’acqua
• Wine — il vino

Fruit and Desserts

• Apple — la mela
• Apricot — l’albicocca
• Banana — la banana
• Cake — la torta
• Cherries — le ciliegie
• Chocolate — la cioccolata
• Cookies — i biscotti
• Custard — la crema
• Fruit — la frutta
• Grape — l’uva
• Grapefruit — il pompelmo
• Ice Cream - gelato
• Peach — la pesca
• Raspberries — i lamponi
• Sugar — lo zucchero
• Whipped Cream — la panna montata

***Terms courtesy of http://www.essortment.com/food.html

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