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Help with shopping in Italy

Grocery Terms and useful tips empower you to shop in Italy with confidence. Help with shopping in Italy

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Bread – Pane

Italy has many kinds of bread. You can get everything from Baguettes to flat bread. The main bread of Tuscany is salt free. This was because of taxes imposed on salt in the old days. If you do not want pane Toscana (nostrale), a great bread is pane pugliese. It has a nice hard crust and has salt in the bread. You can also find ciaccino or schiacciata which are like focaccia. Ciaccino can also be a type of pizza. It is a pizza without tomato sauce also known as a white pizza.

Salumi e Affettati – Cold Cuts:

  • Prosciutto To begin, there are 2 different items that are considered prosciutto:
  1. 1.      Prosciutto cotto, which is, boiled ham and
  2. 2.     Prosciutto crudo which is what is translated into English as just prosciutto or Parma Ham. Crudo comes in 2 main variations, sweet or salty. Sweet is Prosciutto di Parma or San Daniele. Salty are the ones labeled Nostrale in Tuscany. Nostrale means ours by the way.
  • Speck is like smoked prosciutto crudo. It is wonderful in cooking and on ciaccino.
  • Pancetta is like bacon but not smoked (we do have smoked style and they call it bacon or pancetta affumicata). Wonderful as a base with soffritto in many Tuscan treats.
  • Bresaola, is dry cured beef. Most times you will find it listed as Carpaccio di Bresaola on a menu.
  • Salame. There are so many different types that it would take forever to list. Ones that are Calabrese or Napolitano are spicy and normally are a little red. Finocchiona is covered with fennel seeds. Toscana or nostrale is has large bits of fat and whole pepper kernels, Milanese is ground much finer so there are no big nuggets and it is also much larger.
  • Capocolla is what is referred to as coppa in the States. Lovely with a hint of fennel and a lot of pepper.
  • Mortadella di Bologna The Oscar Meyer stuff was a take off on mortadella. Finally, the real stuff is legal in the US so you might have already had some. You can buy little ones but the best are the huge 10 foot long ones that are about 2 feet in diameter. If you happen on a store when they are having a special, get a wedge. Cubed up it is great in salads, on pizza, etc.

 

 

Formaggio – Cheese

  • Pecorino  is the Tuscan specialty. There are 3 main types. New, normally with a yellow or cream colored rind, aged which normally has a red rind and very aged which is black. The more aged the drier the cheese.
  • Parmigiano, well that is self explanatory but make sure you grate it or shave it yourself.
  • Pecorino Romano is a peppery aged cheese that is the main cheese in Carbonara and can be substituted with Parmigiano.
  • Taleggio is a wonderful soft cheese used on crackers or in cooking. Finish off a risotto with this.
  • Mozzarella. There are 3 main types:
  1. 1.      Mozzarella di bufala is the traditional mozzarella.  It is wonderful and should not be missed. Drizzled with olive oil and served with tomatoes and basil or kalamata olives, oh bliss.
  2. 2.     Fior di Latte or what most people just call (although incorrectly) mozzarella. This is made from cow milk.
  3. 3.     mozzarella per pizza which is less watery and so the pizza doesn’t get soggy
  • Stracchino is a very runny fresh cheese. Great in pasta, risotto, on bread and of course on pizza.
  • Scamorza is a firmer cheese and it is wonderful grilled. You can also find scamorza affumicata (smoked).
  • Ricotta. Italians love ricotta and are notorious for getting it and adding marmalade (marmalata) to it and eating it like that. It is not cottage cheese.  You can either get the fresh sheep or cow type.

When ordering meats and cheeses at a deli counter, they are ordered by the etto (1 etto is 100 grams or a little less than a ¼ pound). So quattro etti (4 etti) is almost a pound.

Latte – Milk

There is fresh or UHT (ultra high temperature). UHT is easier to keep around. As they do not need to be refrigerated until they have been opened.  They sell fresh milk too; latte fresco. The 3 types of milk are:

  1. 1.      intero which is whole milk,
  2. 2.     parzialmente scremato which is low fat and
  3. 3.     scremato which is non fat.

Panna  – Cream

Again, more than one type. Here you also have fresh and UHT.  Fresh is panna fresca and is kept in the refrigerator section.  UHT is either Panna da cucina  for cooking or Panna da dolce or da montare for whipping cream. The UHT panna da cucina is much thicker, about twice as thick as whipping cream. To use, cut the top off and stir it first as the water separates out, then adjust with a bit of milk to thin it if needed.

Burro – Butter

Normal butter here is sweet not salty.  If you prefer salted butter, Lurpack is a great butter made in Denmark and sold at most larger grocery chains.
Olio d’Oliva – Olive Oil

  • Extra vergine or extra virgin is the first cold press and the best  If you can find the first cold press that is released in November (called olio nuovo)  then get as much as you can. It stays good for 1 year and should be kept away from heat or light but do not store it in the refrigerator please.  First cold press unfiltered should be used to drizzle on foods and bread.
  • Olio di oliva normal is great for cooking.

Zucchero – Sugar

  • Zucchero semolato is granulated. It is a courser grind than US sugar so if making sweets you may want to grind it finer (that is if you have a cuisinart type machine which is called a robot with a silent t).
  • Zucchero al velo is powdered sugar. Main problem here is that it is normally vaniglato which means vanilla has been added to it.

Dolcificante – Sugar Substitute  Dietor is what we use instead of Sweet & Low and Equal. Some places do have Sweet and Low but it isn’t the same.

Bicarbinato di Sodio – Baking soda  Seems the same as stateside.

Lievito in Polvere – Baking Powder Be careful here as some have vanilla added.

 

Sale – Salt

grosso is like kosher salt

  • fino is normal salt
  • marino is sea salt

Fagioli – Beans

  • ceci which are chick peas or garbanzo beans,
  • borlotti which are used mainly for soups (almost like kidney beans) and
  • cannelini beans or white beans

Verdure – Vegetables

Almost everything here is seasonal. You cannot for example always find Artichokes year round but that is okay because you only get them when they are ripe and ready to eat. Of course some places are importing items from other countries to change this but try to buy just seasonal items.  You will notice the difference. Look to the mini dictionary for translations.

When purchasing veggies at supermarkets, you will need to first put on a glove (provided next to the bags) and then bag and weigh each item.  When you weigh them you will have a machine and you will need to select the correct item from the screen.  Then a tape will be printed with the item’s name, the weight, per kilo price and the total amount. Stick this to the bag and continue on.

Mini Grocery Dictionary

Besides the brief descriptions above, here are some other translations that you may find helpful.

TOILETRIES:

  • Balsamo – Conditioner
  • Dentifricio – Toothpaste
  • Deodorante – Deodorant
  • Grassi – for oily hair
  • Lacca – Hair Spray
  • Shampoo or Sciampoo – Shampoo
  • Trattati –for treated hair
  • Rasoi – Razors
  • Schiuma da Barba – Shaving Cream

MEAT & POULTRY (types and cuts):

  • Agnello – Lamb
  • Ali – Wings
  • Anatra or Anitra – Duck
  • Coscia – Leg
  • Fegato – Liver
  • Manzo – Beef
  • Oca – Goose
  • Petto – Breast
  • Pollo – Chicken
  • Sovracoscia – Thigh
  • Tacchino – Turkey
  • Vitello – Calf
  • Vitellone – Beef

 

FRUITS & VEGETABLES:

  • Aglio – Garlic
  • Albicocca – Apricot
  • Arancia – Orange
  • Barbabietola – Beets
  • Bietola – Swiss Chard
  • Carciofi – Artcichokes
  • Carote – Carrots
  • Cavolfiore – Cauliflower
  • Cavolo – Cabbage
  • Cavolo di Broccoli – Broccoli
  • Cipolla – Onion
  • Clementina – Seedless Tangerine
  • Funghi – Mushrooms
  • Limone – Lemon
  • Mandarina – Tangerine
  • Mela – Apple
  • Melanzana – Eggplant
  • Peperoncini – Spicy peppers
  • Peperoni – Bell Peppers
  • Pesca – Peach
  • Pomi – Persimmon
  • Pomodori – Tomatoes
  • Prezzemolo – Parsley
  • Rucola – Arugula
  • Sedano – Celery
  • Spinaci – Spinach
  • Uva – Grapes

STAPLES:

  • Acciughe – Anchovies
  • Aceto – Vinegar
  • Aceto Bianco – White Wine Vinegar
  • Amido di Mais – Corn Starch
  • Bicarbinato di Sodio – Baking Soda
  • Capperi – Capers
  • Farina “0” – Bread flour
  • Farina “00” – A/P Flour
  • Lievito di Birra – Yeast for Breads
  • Lievito in Polvere – Baking Powder
  • Maionese – Mayonaise
  • Mais – Corn
  • Miele – Honey
  • Olio di Arachidi – Peanut Oil
  • Olio di Mais – Corn Oil
  • Olio di Semi – Seed Oil
  • Senape – Mustard
  • Tonno – Tuna
  • Uova – Eggs

 

SPICES/HERBS:

  • Bacche di Ginepro – Juniper Berries
  • Dragoncello – Tarragon
  • Maggiorana – Marjoram
  • Raffano – Horseradish
  • Rosemarino – Rosemary
  • Salvia – Sage
  • Timo – Thyme

CLEANING SUPPLIES:

  • Ammorbidente – Fabric Softener
  • Candeggina – Bleach
  • Carta da Cucina – Paper Towels
  • Carta Igenica – Toilet Paper
  • Guanti – Gloves
  • Sacchi per spazzatura – Garbage Bags
  • Sapone per Lavastoviglie – Dishwasher Soap
  • Sapone per Lavatrice – Washing Machine Soap
  • Sapone per Piatti – Dish Soap
  • Spugna – Sponge

WRAPPING ITEMS:

  • aluminium or carta stagnolo – tin foil
  • pellicola – plastic wrap
  • pellicola per il micronde – plastic wrap for the microwave

carta da forno – parchment paper 

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