The Italian word for lemon is limone, which comes from the Arabic līmūn, the collective term for fruits of this kind. Limone is a masculine noun, and its plural form is limoni. il limonethe lemon un limonea lemon i limonithe lemons dei limoni(some) lemons Interestingly, limone is also the name given to the lemon tree, …
Today we’re going to be taking a look at one of my favourite vegetables, the humble yet incredibly tasty carciofo. Unlike many Italian words, the word doesn’t have a Latin origin – rather, it comes from the Arabic kharshuf. It is the word, not only for the edible part of the plant, but also the …
If you’re planning on visiting Italy, there are a few basic needs you will want to express in Italian. Most importantly (or perhaps second only to finding the public facilities), you need to know how to go about filling your empty stomach up with food. The first step? To tell someone that you’re hungry! In …
The most I’ve ever eaten in one sitting was at a wedding (matrimonio) in the south of Italy. I made the amateur mistake of filling up on the first course – which, to be fair, was a mouthwatering array of freshly caught seafood – only to discover that there were seven courses to go! By …
Before moving to Italy, I was completely unfamiliar with the finocchio, an aromatic yellow-flowered plant of the parsley family with feathery leaves and gentle aniseed flavour. It has since become one of my favourite winter vegetables! Finocchio is a masculine noun, and the plural is finocchi. un finocchioil finocchio dei finocchii finocchi There are many …
My favourite pizza topping of all time, with perhaps the exception of gorgonzola cheese, is the anchovy. This word translates as acciuga (feminine) in Italian, though it is usually seen in its plural form acciughe (anchovies). This small oily fish is found throughout the world’s oceans, and keeps very well in oil (acciughe sott’olio), brine …