The 5 Italian food words that you're probably mispronouncing
America is a melting pot for sure and now more than ever, you can find thousands of products from around the world in your local grocery store. Or for foodies, you might find them traveling to ethnic neighborhoods to find just that right spice, cheese, or oil. Give this a read before you head into Little Italy to go shopping. The only thing that would make you seem more Italian was if you rode in on a Vespa wearing this season's Armani and smoking a Muratti.
1. Bruschetta - Probably the most often mispronounced of them all, the delicately toasted crostini topped with a variety of mixes, the most common being Tomato & Fresh Basil of course, is pronounced Broo-sket'-ta, not Broo-shet'-ta. Now roll that "r", BRRRRUSCHETTA!!
America is a melting pot for sure and now more than ever, you can find thousands of products from around the world in your local grocery store. Or for foodies, you might find them traveling to ethnic neighborhoods to find just that right spice, cheese, or oil. Give this a read before you head into Little Italy to go shopping. The only thing that would make you seem more Italian was if you rode in on a Vespa wearing this season's Armani and smoking a Muratti.
1. Bruschetta - Probably the most often mispronounced of them all, the delicately toasted crostini topped with a variety of mixes, the most common being Tomato & Fresh Basil of course, is pronounced Broo-sket'-ta, not Broo-shet'-ta. Now roll that "r", BRRRRUSCHETTA!!
2. Espresso - Just like it's spelled boys and girls. It can be translated to the English word "express" in reference to how fast the coffee is pushed through the finely ground beans. But, nevertheless, it's still an Italian word, not an English one. So get a taza, spoon some sugar in it, relax and say Essssspreso!
3. Cappuccino - So while we're on the subject of coffee, let's talk cappuccino. First off,in Italy they would NEVER drink a coffee with any milk in it after 2:00 in the afternoon. Cappuccino is considered a breakfast drink and is reserved for the morning. It would be like ordering oatmeal for lunch or dinner and it's a sure-fire way to spot a coffee amateur a mile away. But when you do order it, make sure you pronounce it cop-poo-chee-no, not cup-a-chee-no and please, no cinnamon or cocoa on top, that's not how real Italians roll, Capisce?
4. Limoncello - This wonderfully delicate, smooth liqueur comes originally from Sorrento and the rest of the Amalfi coast where lemons and other citrus fruits grow to a perfect ripeness in the almost constant sunlight and fresh ocean breezes. It has sustained itself for hundreds of years so please don't ruin it by saying lem-on-chel-lo. Instead, fancy yourself a bit of an Amalfitan(o/a) and pronounce it lee-mon-chel-lo. And please sip it, don't shoot it.
5. Ricotta - Meaning re-cooked, this is the cheese that goes into so many famous dishes like, Lasagna, Ravioli, and Cannoli. Depending on if your family hails from northern or southern Italy, you might say it one of two ways, ree-cawt-a, ri-cawt, or if you're from New Jersey, ra-gawt. I would say any of those three would make you sound like you grew up working in a caseficio. So no more pronouncing it ra-cot-ta.
Happy shopping & Buon Appetito!
