Food names in Italian

Food (il cibo) is one of the most meaningful aspects of Italian culture.

List of food in Italian

Let's start with an overview on Italian food.

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Meat and seafood in Italian (chicken, saumon,...)

In the following table you'll find the main kinds of meat (la carne).

In the following table you'll find the main kinds of seafood (il pesce/ i frutti di mare).

Vegetables in Italian (tomato, carrot,...)

In the following table you'll find the main kinds of vegetables (le verdure).

Fruit in Italian (apple, pear,...)

In the following table you'll find the main kinds of fruit (la frutta).

Be careful!
      "Il frutto" is one singular unit of fruit (the fruit)," i frutti" are more than one frutto (the fruits), "la frutta" is a part of the meal or a category among food.

Dessert in Italian (chocolate, cake,...)

In the following table you'll find the main desserts (i dolci).

Another typical Italian dessert are:

• Tiramisù (a coffee-flavoured dessert made up of eggs, biscuits, mascarpone and cocoa)
• Cannolo (a small treat hailing from Sicily, consisting of a tube of toasted pastry filled with ricotta cheese)
• Cassata (a small cake covered with flavoured icing and filled with ricotta and chocolate)
• Panettone (the Italian Christmas dessert by definition, it is a large and sweet bread, yeasted for several days, with raisins and candied fruit)
• Pannacotta (a sweetened, solid cream flavoured with syrups)

Meals in Italian (breakfast, dinner,...)

The most important Italian meals are breakfast (la colazione), lunch (il pranzo) e dinner (la cena).
Especially among kids, it's also common to have a snack (la merenda).

Some expression that can be useful in this context are to be hungry that translates as avere fame and to be thirsty that translates as avere sete.

Be careful! To express the need of eating/drinking:
                          In English verb to be + adjective vs. in Italian verb to have + noun

Breakfast in Italian 

Breakfast is eaten right after waking up and usually involves:

As you can see, Italian breakfast is usually based on sweet food.

Lunch and dinner in Italian

Lunch is eaten from 12 am or 2 pm while dinner is usually eaten from 7.30 pm to 9 pm. 
The most typical Italian food of these meals are la pasta, la pasta al forno/le lasagne and la pizza.
In the following table you'll find some other vocabs about food eaten and used during lunch and dinner.

Snack in Italian

Snack, very common among kids (but not only among them) when they come back from school, is usually eaten around 4 or 5 pm.
In the following table you'll find some other vocabs about food eaten and used during snack.

Drinks in Italian (wine, beer,...)

In the following table you'll find some vocabs about the main drinks (le bevande).

Italian wines and liqueurs

Italy is one of the leading wine-producing countries in the world.
Some of the most famous and appreciated wines are:

• Primitivo
• Nebbiolo
• Barolo
• Chianti
• Montepulciano 
• Lambrusco

White, sparkling sweet wine is called spumante, commonly drank on special occasions such as celebrations and informal events.

After big meals, sometimes Italian people drink some liqueurs called digestivi.
The most known are: 

• Amaro
• Amaretto
• Grappa
• Limoncello
• Sambuca

Daily dialogues

Take a look at the following dialogue about food.