Italian Word of the Day: Lampone (raspberry)

One of my favourite berries (frutti di bosco) is the raspberry, which is called a lampone (masculine, plural: lamponi) in Italian. In addition to the fruit, it is also the name given to the raspberry bush.

/lam·pó·ne/
italian word for raspberry

In Italy, there are various areas where raspberries are cultivated successfully, with the main production regions being Trentino, Veneto and Piemonte in the north. Wild varieties are also found in the undergrowth of the Alpine and Pre-Alpine areas.

I lamponi crescono nelle alture, nelle montagne o nelle colline.

Raspberries grow in the highlands, mountains or hills.


Raspberries scattered on wicker tray
Abbiamo raccolto dei lamponi freschi. = We picked fresh raspberries.

A berry that is similar to the raspberry, and indeed belongs to the same Rubus family, is the blackberry (mora). The difference is that when a raspberry is harvested, the receptacle remains on the plant, leaving a cavity in the fruit, whereas in blackberries the receptacle remains attached to the fruit.

Two popular products that are made from raspberries are marmellata di lamponi (raspberry jam) and sciroppo di lamponi (raspberry syrup).

Raspberries and raspberry jam on white wooden table
Adoro la marmellata di lamponi! = I love raspberry jam!

Rosso lampone (raspberry red) or color lampone (colour raspberry) are two ways to refer to the typical red colour of raspberries when describing fabrics, paint and so on.


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