Italian restaurant menus aren't in English outside tourist traps. The trattoria you WANT to eat at — the one with handwritten daily specials, no photos, no English translation — requires knowing 50-100 words. This glossary covers every word you'll see on an Italian menu, organized by course, with pronunciation and what it actually tastes like. Rome food → · Naples food → · Cheese guide →
Antipasti (starters): Bruschetta (broo-SKET-tah, NOT broo-SHEH-tah — toasted bread + toppings). Carpaccio (raw sliced meat/fish). Prosciutto e melone (cured ham + cantaloupe). Burrata (cream-filled mozzarella). Supplì (fried rice ball, Rome). Arancino/a (fried rice ball, Sicily). Primi (first course — pasta, risotto, soup): Cacio e pepe (cheese + pepper pasta, Rome). Carbonara (egg + guanciale + pecorino, Rome — NO cream). Amatriciana (tomato + guanciale + pecorino). Puttanesca (tomato + olives + capers + anchovy). Ragù (meat sauce — NOT "bolognese" in Italy). Risotto ai funghi porcini (porcini mushroom risotto).
Secondi (main course — meat/fish): Bistecca alla fiorentina (T-bone steak, 1.2kg, rare, Florence — €45-60). Saltimbocca (veal + prosciutto + sage, Rome). Ossobuco (braised veal shank, Milan). Baccalà (salt cod). Fritto misto (mixed fried seafood). Branzino (sea bass). Orata (sea bream). Contorni (sides — ordered separately!): Patate arrosto (roast potatoes). Insalata mista (mixed salad). Verdure grigliate (grilled vegetables). Spinaci saltati (sautéed spinach). Dolci (desserts): Tiramisù (mascarpone + coffee + cocoa). Panna cotta (cooked cream + fruit/caramel). Cannolo (tube pastry + ricotta, Sicily). Sfogliatella (layered pastry, Naples). Caffè always comes AFTER dessert, never with it.
Trippa = tripe (stomach lining). Lampredotto = tripe sandwich (Florence). Pajata = intestines (Rome). Cervella = brains. Fegato = liver. Milza = spleen (Palermo). Nervetti = cartilage/tendons (Milan). Lardo = cured pork fat (delicious, but know what it is). Bottarga = cured fish roe (expensive, umami, Sardinia). If you see a word you don't recognize: ASK. Waiters respect curiosity. They don't respect silent regret.