ABBACCHIO: Milk-fed baby lamb slaughtered before it is weaned.

ACCIUGATA: Raw anchovies seasoned with oil and lemon and left to marinate for an hour or two. It is served as an Antipasto.

ACETO BALSAMICO: Balsamic Vinegar, a specialty of Modena, made form the fermentation of mosto (must) aged at least 10 years. In the past it was produced only in a family attic, while the recipe was passed from one generation to the next. Today it is also commercially produced in limited quantities.

ACQUA COTTA: Country soup made of onions, celery and tomato browned in oil and diluted with water. It is serve with hot pepper and toasted country bread.

ACQUA DI FIORI D’ARANCIO: Essence made from orange blossoms and leaves. Used in making desserts such as pastiera napoletana.

AFFETTATO MISTO: A term that indicates that various types of sliced, cured meats are offered in the same dish.

AGLIATA: Sauce made of pounded garlic, oil and crustless bread.

AGNOLINI or ANOLINI: Fresh stuffed pasta. In the Parma area, agnolini are made with the reduced cooking juices of braised meats. They are usually served in broth.

AGNOLOTTI: Square-shaped egg pasta, filled with meat and vegetables, served either in a broth or with a sauce.

AGONE: Another name for alosa, a fish quite common in Italy in Northern lakes.

AGRESTO: The juice from green or unripe grapes used to make a sauce of the same name, widely used from the 14th to the 16th century.

AGRODOLCE: Sweet and sour. A very old sauce made of vinegar and sugar or of any other two contrasting ingredients.

AL DENTE: Pasta cooked al dente should have a somewhat chewy texture and should not break or become mushy when mixed with the desired condiments.

AL FIASCO: Cooked in a flask or flask-shaped terracotta pot. A cooking method used especially with beans.

AL SALTO: A term used to describe a risotto alla milanese cooked, cooled and then pan sautéed with butter over a high flame. The starch expelled from the grains of rice allows the rice to form a crunchy golden crust.

AL TELEFONO: A term used to describe fritters with mozzarella cheese. When bitten into, the frittersform long strings like a telephone cord.

ALICE: Another name for anchovy.

ALKERMES: Liqueur of Arabic origin, perfected in Italy (also known as Alkermes of Florence). It is used almost exclusively in pastries, especially in zuppa inglese, for which it is an indespensable ingredient.

ALL’ONDA: A term used to describe risotto that is cooked until still creamy but semi-liquid in texture (wavy) when poured into a dish.

ALOSA: See Agone.

AMARETTO: Cookie made of almonds, sugar and egg white, crunchy outside and soft inside. Also, an almond liquer.

AMATRICIANA: Hot sauce for spaghetti or bucatini made with guanciale, white wine, tomato and peperoncino. It comes from the town of Amatrice, in Lazio.

ANGUILLA: Eel. Eels live in fresh waters; they swim to the sea to spawn and then go back up rivers and lakes.

ANICINO: Hard cookie made of flour, baking powder, eggs, sugar and anise seeds.

ANIMELLE (sweetbreads): The thymus glands of veal and lamb.

ANTIPASTO: Appetizer or hors d’oeuvre. Antipasto literally means, “before the meal”.

APPASSIRE: To sauté over a low heat so that the vegetables soften but do not brown.

APPIATTIRE: To flatten a steak or a piece of meat by pounding it with a mallet so as to break the tough meat fibers.

ARAGOSTA: Spiny lobster.

ARANCIATA : Sardinian torrone made with orange peel, honey and almonds. In common Italian, it also means orangeade.

ARANCINO: Rice ball filled with meat ragù, peas and cheese. Arancini are served as Antipasti. In home kitchens they are mide with leftover risotto.

ARISTA: Pork saddle. A term from Tuscany, where this meat is usually cooked on the spit. It can also be roasted in the oven in its own fat.

ARSELLA: A kind of small clam.

ARTUSI, PELLEGRINO: Banker and epicure from Emilia Romagna who wrote La Scienza in Cucina e l’Arte di Mangiar Bene (Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well) in 1891 (see Bibliography).

ASTACO: Maine lobster