Buono (good), buonissimo (really good), non è buono (it’s not good) — these are all great words to know when commenting on food in Italian. But when we really love (or hate) what’s on our plate, we like to be a bit more creative and reach for expressions that, when translated literally, can sometimes sound pretty bizarre.
A dish that “brings the dead back to life”? Oh yes, pass the recipe!
One that drags Dante, Italy’s greatest poet, into the conversation? Absolutely!
Below are eleven of the most common expressions you can use whenever the food truly earns a reaction, good or bad. So read on, grab a fork and let’s start practising!
1. È la fine del mondo
It’s out of this word
(Lit. “It’s the end of the world”)
We say this when something tastes so good it stops us mid-bite. In that moment, nothing else matters: the world could end right there and we wouldn’t even notice.
For full effect, add a little circular hand motion near your face as you say it.
Questo tiramisù è la fine del mondo!
This tiramisu is out of this world!
2. È roba da leccarsi i baffi
It’s absolutely delicious
(Lit. “It’s stuff to lick the mustache over”)
This expression describes a dish good enough we can’t help but lick our lips (or our mustache, if we’ve got one) to savour the taste a little longer. A bit like a cat licking its face after a good meal, looking all satisfied. And yes, anyone can say it, moustache or no moustache.
Il tuo ragù è da leccarsi i baffi, mi dai la ricetta?
Your ragù is absolutely delicious, can I have the recipe?
3. Fa resuscitare i morti
It’s to die for
(Lit. “It brings the dead back to life”)
This is the expression I teased you with in the introduction, and it’s perfect for food so good it feels almost miraculous. Like Lazarus called back from the dead, except in this case, it’s not a divine calling bringing him back, but some heavenly aroma!
Questo profumo di Nutella fa resuscitare i morti!
This smell of Nutella is to die for!
4. Ti rimette al mondo
It brings you back to life
(Lit. “It puts you back into the world”)
In Italian, mettere al mondo means “to give birth,” so ti rimette al mondo is a playful way of saying that a dish makes us feel deliciously refreshed and good as new.
Think of a steaming bowl of minestrone on a freezing cold day, or a fresh insalata di riso (rice salad) after an afternoon at the beach. No need for fancy or filling; the only requirement is that it leaves us feeling like whole new persons.
Dopo una giornata così, la carbonara della signora Maria ti rimette al mondo.
After a day like this, Mrs Maria’s carbonara brings you back to life.
5. Senza infamia e senza lode
Nothing special
(Lit. “Without infamy and without praise”)
With this expression, we managed to make mediocrity sound literary. It comes from no less than Dante’s Inferno (Hell): in Canto III, the poet uses senza infamia e senza lode to describe the ignavi (people who never took a side on anything), and shoves them into a sort of waiting room called Ante-Inferno, since neither Heaven nor Hell could be bothered to claim them.
So, if your pasta is nothing memorable, you know what to call it.
Questa pasta è senza infamia e senza lode. Si lascia mangiare, ma non la ordinerei di nuovo.
This pasta is nothing special. It’s edible enough, but I wouldn’t order it again.
6. Non è un granchè
It’s nothing special
(Lit. “It’s not much”)
Granchè comes from the union of gran (short for grande, “big”) and che, which here works as an indefinite pronoun meaning “something.” So, literally, un granchè translates to “a big deal.” Except, we use it in negative sentences to mean the exact opposite! So when an Italian tells you a dish non è un granchè, what they are saying is that it’s nothing special and they are not impressed.
Questi ravioli non sono un granchè, ne ho mangiati di migliori.
These ravioli are nothing special, I’ve had better.
7. È… particolare!
It’s… unique!
This is how we go diplomatic when the food on our plate is not exactly thrilling us. Instead of using Non mi piace (I don’t like it), we simply call it particolare, which is a polite way of saying a dish has a rather “interesting” flavour, without technically saying anything negative. Everyone is then free to read between the lines…
A: Allora, che ne pensi di questo formaggio?
So, what do you think of this cheese?
B: Beh, è… particolare!
Well, it’s… unique!
8. Non sa di niente
It doesn’t taste of anything
When a dish looks promising but turns out to be completely bland, non sa di niente gets straight to the point.
Il melone sembrava bello, ma non sa di niente.
The melon looked nice, but it doesn’t taste of anything.
A couple of interesting things:
- This phrase contains a very useful construction for commenting on food in Italian: sa di (it tastes of). Just add any words after it, and you can describe what something tastes like. For example, sa di bruciato (it tastes burnt) could be used for coffee, while sa di tappo (it tastes of cork) is something you might say about wine.
- If you want to sound a little more playful, you can also say non sa né di me né di te (literally, “it doesn’t taste of me or of you“) instead of non sa di niente. It doesn’t really add any extra meaning, it’s just a fun, quirky way to express the same idea.
9. È un mattone
It’s a heavy one (lit. “It’s a brick”)
Un mattone is what we call a dish so rich and filling, it feels like we are swallowing a heavy brick — one that not even a passeggiata (stroll) can help us digest!
Using this expression doesn’t necessarily mean we don’t like it at all; a dish can be un mattone and still be very good (just maybe don’t say it to the cook’s face!).
La torta è buonissima, ma con tutta quella panna è un mattone.
The cake is delicious, but with all that cream, it’s really heavy.
10. Non mi piace
I don’t like it
This is the simplest, most direct way of saying we don’t like what we’ve been served. To make it stronger, add proprio (really) and say Non mi piace proprio (I don’t really like it) — it’s practically the same as slowly pushing your plate away while shaking your head.
Questo risotto è troppo al dente e salato, non mi piace proprio.
This risotto is way too al dente and salty. I really don’t like it.
11. È immangiabile
It’s inedible
Finally, when the food is hopelessly bad, there’s nothing left to do but alzare bandiera bianca (raise the white flag) and declare that è immangiabile.
Questa carne è immangiabile, l’hanno cotta troppo.
This meat is inedible, they overcooked it.
One more for your list: when food is not exactly good yet somehow still edible, we say si lascia mangiare (literally, “it lets itself be eaten”), as in the example sentence in #5.
Valentina Nicastro is a travel writer in love with her home country, Italy. Having travelled widely around the globe, she realised there was more to explore closer to home and decided to put the passport aside for a while. When she is not immersed in documenting Italy, you’ll find her donning her communication consultant hat, weaving words as a content writer and bridging linguistic divides as a translator.
